Vena, the immortal hunter (Volume 1 - The Purge of Lyfon Village)
by Nike Skyle
Summary: In this continent of humans, demons, and vampires, stands Vena Reiden- a demon hunter. As his job states, Vena is somewhat a bounty hunter that will get the job done, long as there's a payment. Follow the journey of Vena and his companions as they are slowly sucked into the wars of the three races, for ultimate control over the continent. [Cover from: zxq]
1. Prologue: The Hunter and his Disciples

**Prologue: The Hunter and his Disciples.**

By: ~Skyle~

* * *

 ** _The Immortal Hunter roams the Border, in search for a prey._**

 ** _He wears a blood drenched cloak, and uses a blade and dagger,_**

 ** _His eyes are red, resembling that of a Vampire._**

 ** _His face has black markings, r_** ** _esembling that of a Demon,_**

 ** _But till the very end, he is a Human._**

 ** _If you meet the Immortal Hunter,_** ** _do not follow him_**

 ** _For the preys that he hunts,_** ** _are beyond the capabilities of a human._**

 ** _Just fear the Immortal Hunter,_**

 ** _And pray that_** ** _you'll never cross his path._**

* * *

Part 1

A yawn escapes my mouth as I let the cold morning air fill my lungs.

"Elisu look, Master just yawned. Go back home and continue sleeping. Let the both of us handle this job." Charlotte, my first disciple speaks with a grin on her face.

"It's just a yawn. Let it go, Charlote." I reply as I rub my eyes.

"I wonder where Vena's yawn comes from. Is it from those _vigorous_ activities Vena did last night with the barmaid?" she continues and starts to giggle.

 _This brat, I'll inform Marian to make only three peoples worth of breakfast. Charlotte will just have to make do with our leftovers._

Elisu, my second disciple, who has been silent all this while, finally speaks in a monotonous tone, "A 19 year old demon hunter finally loses his virginity to a barmaid. Congratulations, Vena."

Both my disciples' starts clapping, with Charlotte laughing, her long blonde hair sways with her laughter.

 _Looks like Marian will only need to prepare two sets of breakfast. They can go eat twigs or something_.

"Be quiet Charlotte. It's still five in the morning." Elisu punches Charlotte softly on the shoulder.

Among my two disciples, Elisu is definitely more mature when it comes to etiquette, even though they are the same age.

After affirming that in my head, I ask them to quiet down as I intend to explain to brief about our job this morning. At that time, a roar can be heard inside the building. Amidst this three-storey inn, lies a demon. It broke in around three in the morning and slaughtered the people staying inside. The only survivors are the inn owner, who was at the main hall, and his maid, who was sleeping beside him.

"Our prey today is a demon, so make sure to use _purified arrows,_ not _holy arrows_." I inform Elisu who begins to inspect the arrow on her crossbow and her quiver. She checks her crossbow once more to ensure that it is in top shape, its color the same as her black neck-length hair.

Just then, the owner of the inn returns with his maid. In his hand is a metal lamp with a lit candle inside. The maid is holding a small straw bag with unlighted candles inside, as I requested. Charlotte walks towards them and takes the small straw bag with her left hand and holds the metal lamp in her other hand. She then begins to talk with the owner, most likely trivial stuff.

I walk towards the wooden front door and push it open in one move.

 _It's too dark to see anything in front._

Since it was night, the owner extinguished all of the lamps from the stairs to the rooms. The candles inside the lamps in the main hall have been burnt out, leaving the place in complete darkness.

It takes my eyes less than a minute to adjust to the darkness. In front is the unoccupied reception desk. There are stairs on the left and right heading to the first floor. Behind the reception desk are two entrance; one leads to rooms on the ground floor, and the other to the kitchen area.

Someone pulls the ends on my cloak. I turn around to see Elisu looking at me with her black crossbow in her left hand.

"Vena, I need to go change the string on my crossbow." she states as she shows me her crossbow. I notice that the string on her crossbow looks like it could snap at any time.

I hit her on the head softly, "Remember to change the string after every job is done, and call me _Master_ Vena"

Elisu merely nods and walks back to the front lawn to start changing the string.

 _Elisu should take about 5 minutes to change her string._

"Charlotte! We're scouting ahead!" I shout to my first disciple, who merely waves her hand which is holding the metal lamp.

I walk into the inn first as Charlotte lights a candle beside Elisu. Once inside, I close my eyes and focus, trying to pick up any sound of movements inside the inn. This inn is quite large, with 10 rooms on each floor, five one each side. The ground floor also has 10 rooms. There are growling sounds coming from the upper floor. The area behind the reception desk seems quiet.

"Master, I have arrive!" Charlotte shouts as she walks into the inn. The demon growls even louder.

"Keep your voice down Charlotte. And light me a candle."

Charlotte puts the lamp down on the wooden floor and starts to light up a candle using the lamp. With the aid of the lamp I can now see the interior more clearly. There are huge demonic footprints on the wooden floor which leads to both the kitchen and ground floor rooms.

 _This is bad, really bad._

"Here you go Master. As requested, one lighted candle." Charlotte hands me a candle, grinning as if it is a huge achievement to light a candle.

"Go and change the candles inside the lamps on the ground floor. _Don't go anywhere beyond the reception desk._ " I command her.

Charlotte who is usually noisy, shuts her mouth and goes along with the task I gave her. I walk towards the staircase on the left side with the candle in my hand. There are footprints of the demon smeared in blood as it made its way down to the back area behind the reception desk. I walk towards the right staircase. It looks like the demon did not touch these steps.

I walk towards the reception desk and focus on my hearing again. The sound of the demon growling can be heard from the right side.

 _Is it too much for them to handle?_

"Master, the candles have been changed as requested." Charlotte states as she stops behind me. Footsteps can be heard from the entrance; Elisu has finished with her crossbow.

 _Guess it's time for them to grow up._

"Charlotte, Elisu," I give them my orders, "head up using the _right_ staircase. Relight the blown out lamps as you check each of the rooms. The demon is most likely in one of the rooms on the right, so take caution. Of course check _all_ the rooms."

"Eh? Does this mean…" Charlotte asks.

"If you meet the demon before I arrive, take care of it. I trust my two disciples can take care one demon right? "

Charlotte face lights up after hearing what I just said. Even Elisu who usually has a face as cold as ice, is now showing a perplex expression. Charlotte grabs hold of Elisu's hand and heads towards the staircase, "Don't worry Master! You can count on us!"

"No matter what you hear, _do not come down to the ground floor!_ " I warn them, "Just focus on the task at hand, alright?"

The smile on Charlotte's face disappears. She nods and moves up the steps with Elisu. At least Charlotte knows how to behave seriously during the job. Charlotte and Elisu are both 15 years old.

 _Is it too early to let them face a demon without me? Well, I was fourteen when I faced my first demon alone without any aid from Master Minerva._

 _… …_ _I guess they'll do fine. They won't die at least._

I look towards the left staircase with demon footprints.

 _The demon came in from the 1st or 2nd floor, murdered the humans and walked down to the ground floor using the left staircase. It then made its way to the kitchen, followed by the rooms on the ground floor._

This can all be seen by looking at the demon's footprints. However, there are no footprints heading out of the ground floor area. There are no footprints showing that the demon made its wake back up.

 _The stairs on the right is untouched and the left stairs only shows footprints walking down, not up. So why is there growling sounds coming from the top floor?_

I hope that I am wrong…but I believe that _there are_ _ **two demons**_.

If I am to guess, the first demon entered from one of the left rooms on the 1st floor while the second demon entered from one of the right rooms. This allowed them to slaughter all the humans on the 1st floor while preventing people on the 2nd floor from escaping.

The demon on the left side must be a fast eater, for it killed all the humans in the left rooms on both floors. After that, it made its way down to the ground floor, found nothing in the kitchen, and made its way to the other entrance.

 _That means there is a demon in one of the rooms in the 2nd floor right side, and another demon in one of the ground floor rooms._

I look at the candle in my left hand. It has burnt itself halfway, meaning there is not much time left until I am left in the dark. I place the candle on the reception desk and blow it out. The ground floor is still lit with the lamps Charlotte lit behind me. In front of me is complete darkness, except for the moonlight shining in from the window at the end of the entrance.

 _Looks like I'll need to ask the inn owner for a larger reward once we are done. There are two demons in here._

I walk pass the reception desk and head towards the rooms at the ground floor. Just as I take my 10th step, the wooden floor makes a * **creak*** sound due to a loose wooden plank. I stop in my tracks and brace myself for the worst case scenario. 10 seconds…20 seconds…thankfully, the demon didn't jump out and attack me. Thinking that the worse has passed, I continue forward.

Just then, a figure exits from the last room; it's the demon. The demon features resembles a human. It is about one and a half times taller than me and a hunched back. Its hands are so long that they can touch the floor. Its fingers are as long as a human, but it has claws instead of nails. Now that I think about it, the demon looks more like a werewolf instead of a human, since it has a head that resembles a wolf.

Though the demon notices me, it does not attack. Instead, it drags out the body of a half-eaten man, and continues to eat in front of me.

 _What an arrogant demon…_

Not like I am complaining; I'm thankful that it is not aggressive. Taking advantage of the situation, I continue to observe the demon, mainly its longer-than-normal hands.

 _What troublesome hands you got there…_

I grab the sword resting on my back with my right hand and unsheathe it. It's a long sword with no special decorations at its surface. The handle is a normal 'T' with a silver double edge blade. The hilt is long enough to be held with both hands if the situation is needed.

I look at my left hand and remove the glove I am wearing. There is a marking at the top of my hand, a marking of no meaning or significance. I raise my left hand in front of me and chant, "Come forth, _Perdo_."

The marking glows and a black curve-dagger appear in my left hand. The pommel of the dagger is linked to a black chain. The chain entangles itself around my left hand all the way to my neck, where it forms a collar around my neck.

Though I draw out my weapons, the demon merely growls at me and continues to enjoy its meal. This demon is looking down on me.

This sword is called Lacero. It was given to me by my Vampire Master when I told her I wanted to become a Demon Hunter; a token for hanging out with her all those years.

The black dagger is called Pedro. It was given to me by a half-demon who I tried to kill but ended up being killed instead. He brought me back to life and 'placed' the dagger inside me, as commemoration of our _friendship_.

A vampire trained me to survive against demons until I was 14. I am alive now because a half-demon wants me to be his _friend_.

 _What an amusing past I have._

I straighten myself and speak my quote of strength:

 _My name is Vena from 'Venator', meaning Hunter._

 _Lacero is to shatter, Perdo is to ruin._

 _With shatter and ruin in my hands, I shall eliminate the demon in front of me._

 _For I am Vena, the Demon Hunter._

With that, I dash forward, towards the narrow hall.

* * *

Part 2

In front of me is the demon; on my left and right are the rooms with their doors broken. Since the demon isn't looking at me _(It seems that he is really enjoying his meal)_ , I throw the dagger _Perdo_ towards the demon. _Perdo_ travels towards the demon, the chain attached to it buzzes in the air.

The demon turns to face me due to the buzzing sound. _Perdo_ flies past the demon's head. Since the chain is connected to my left hand, I grab hold of it and pull it to my right. As if _Perdo_ understands me, it entangles itself around the neck of the demon. The chain begins to retreat back to my left hand, dragging the demon towards me.

The demon lets out a roar at it tries to break free from the chain around its neck. However, the chain attached to _Perdo_ was made with the idea holding a 'Demon King' in place; a mere werewolf has no chance of breaking it. While _Perdo_ drags the werewolf towards me, I take aim with the sword in my right hand. In a swift move, I cut through the werewolf left hand with _Lacero_. The werewolf lets out a roar as its left hand falls to the ground. Immediately, I dash backwards; narrowly avoiding the werewolf's right hand swipe.

Suddenly, the werewolf uses its remaining hand to grab the chain in front of it and begins to pull the chain. I stagger forward as the demon attempts to pull me forward with my own chain. To prevent this, I lower my center of gravity by crouching down slightly, allowing myself to stay in place for a few seconds. With that, I turn around and place the chain across my right shoulder, dropping _Lacero_ on the floor at the same time. Using my right shoulder as a lever, I drag the chain downwards with both my hands as I attempt to lift the werewolf into the air.

 _What am I thinking…I don't posses that kind of strength in human-form!_

As expected, I fail to complete the stunt. I lose my balance and drop with one knee on the ground, as if I am proposing to someone. Realizing that I have failed, _Perdo_ untangles itself from the neck of the werewolf and retreats back to my left hand. The werewolf lets out a triumph howl; as if it has won. I can feel the werewolf from behind as it dashes towards me. I pick up _Lacero_ with my right hand and quickly turn around. The werewolf hand is already in front of my face; there is no way I can avoid that.

Suddenly the ceiling above the werewolf gives way. From above, comes the second demon. A simple description: The second demon is huge, three times wider than a human. Imagine that 'heavy' demon falling from the second floor, landing right on the werewolf. The result is obvious to everyone: the werewolf is crushed by the weight of the second demon and dies on the spot.

On top of the second demon is my first disciple, Charlotte. She notices me, "Master! What are you doing there! I could have crushed you."

She jumps down from the second demon and lands in front of me; her blonde hair is in a mess. She is wearing her standard demon-hunting gear; a pair of gauntlets and armor boots (the leg part of a knight's armor). Since her strength surpasses a normal human, she usually beats a demon using brute force.

She turns around and notices the claw of the werewolf jutting out from the bottom of the second demon. She looks at me with a grin on her face.

"Master, did I just save your life?" Charlotte asks in a sarcastic tone.

Feeling irritated, I whack the top of her head with the hilt of _Lacero_ , creating a blut *thud* sound.

"Ouch!"

"That's what you get for acting all high and mighty in front of your Master." I reply as I pull her right ear with my left hand, dragging her away from the two demons.

There is a reason why I am doing this to Charlotte. No, it is not that I am punishing her for speaking sarcastically to me. The real reason is to get her out of the attack range of the second demon. Though she beat the second demon to pulp, she did not check whether the second demon is dead, a grave mistake.

Just to prove my point, the second demon stands up and looks at me with a disfigured face, thanks to Charlotte continuous beatings. Just then, a _purified arrow_ flies past me and buries itself deep into the demon front left shoulder. It explodes the next second, sending chunks of demon flesh into the air. Another _purified arrow_ pierces the stomach of the demon. Just as the second arrow explodes, a third arrow lands on the demons front right shoulder. The fourth arrow explodes at the chest of the demon before it finally falls backwards, shaking the entire inn.

"As always, I have to clean up the mess made by Charlotte." Elisu speaks as she walks down from the stairs, her black crossbow resting on heft right shoulder.

"Charlotte knows how to fight on par with a demon. However due to her arrogant attitude, she doesn't check whether the demon is dead on not." Elisu lets out a sigh as she stands behind Charlotte, "seriously…that is why Charlotte 'kill count' is still zero."

Before Charlotte and Elisu can begin their argument, I hit both their head with the hilt of _Lacero_.

"That is why the both of you are still my _disciples_." I speak as I walk towards the second demon.

"A demon of this _Size_ will not die with some simple 'punch with kick' or _purified arrows._ "

As if to prove my point, I stab _Perdo_ at the forehead of the demon. The demon lets out a roar. Since both its hands were destroyed by Elisu's _purified arrows_ , it can do nothing to push me back. Next, I stab _Lacero_ at the chest of the demon, towards the area where I think its heart should be located.

 _"_ _Perdo, ruin this soul. Lacero, drink to your heart's content."_ I whisper softly, making sure that Charlotte and Elisu couldn't hear me.

Immediately, the demon screams even louder as it feels itself being 'corrupted' by _Perdo_ while its blood is being 'drained' by _Lacero_.

After about 15 seconds, the demon goes quiet, no longer moving.

"And that is how you make sure a demon is really dead." I speak as I withdraw my weapons from the demon and walk back towards both my disciples. They merely stare at me with a puzzled face. I place _Lacero_ back into its scabbard as _Perdo_ disappears from my left hand, along with the chains.

"Alright. Let us head home. I want to eat Marian's breakfast." I pat on both their shoulders as I walk pass them. I can hear footsteps following me from behind.

"But first, I'll need to grab two times the rewards amount from the inn owner, since there were two demons."

The sun can be seen from the horizon as we leave the inn.

Just another job for a Demon Hunter.


	2. Chapter 1: Job from an Acquaintance

**Chapter 1: Job from an Acquaintance.**

Written by: ~Skyle~

Part 1

"Elisu look, Master is grumbling." Charlotte whispers to Elisu's ear loudly, as if she wants me to hear it. Bread crumbs can be seen escaping from her mouth as she speaks

"Yeah, who knew Vena is such a kid." Elisu replies as she brushes off the bread crumbs on her cheeks, thanks to Charlotte. She swallows the bread in her mouth before she continues, "To think that he would _punch_ the inn owner."

Though I feel like hitting both my disciples on their head, I know what they said is the truth: I acted immaturely.

The reward stated by the inn owner for exterminating the demon is 10 silver coins. Since we took down two demons, I thought we would receive 20 silver coins in total. However, the owner didn't give us a single coin. Instead, he told us to pay him back for the damage done towards his inn. Even including the 10 silver coins that we were supposed to receive ( _that's right, he said the second demon doesn't count)_ , the owner says that we have to pay him another 40 silver coins as compensation for 'wrecking' his inn.

At that moment, I lost my cool. My right fist landed on his left cheek, followed by my left knee on his stomach. Charlotte decided to join in as well, landing a few punches here and there. Elisu stood where she was while looking at the opposite direction. We left a few seconds later, never once turning back.

"We took care of TWO demons! And he still had the audacity to ask for compensation?! That man is a fool!" I speak angrily as I rip the bread on my plate in half, chewing loudly.

"Now, now. Calm down, Vena. And Charlotte, don't talk with your mouth full." Marian speaks as she pats me on the back.

I turn and look at Marian. Her long brunette hair accompany with her smiling face immediately extinguishes the anger in my heart. I turn back to face my plate and continue to finish my breakfast.

"Though you didn't get any reward out of this morning's job, at least you helped in stopping the demons from rampaging in this town. You should be proud for what you did." Marian speaks as she continues to eat the food on her plate.

 _As always, Marian looks like a true angel…_

"Yeah! Elisu and I fought against one of the demons without Master's help." Charlotte begins to brag to Marian about this morning 'hunt'. Elisu continues to eat her breakfast without any intention of joining the conversation.

As Charlotte continues to exaggerate the incident this morning, I begin to smile as I look at the three of them.

About 5 years ago, I came to settle down in this small town call Burg. With a population of merely 300, Burg is a town of no importance, located right next to the border of the Human Continent. I came to Burg when I was 14 years old, just when I left the protection of Master Minerva.

The currency used in the Human Continent are 'Gold Coins', 'Silver Coins', 'Copper Coins'.

The exchange rates are as follows:

10 Copper Coins = 1 Silver Coin

100 Silver Coins = 1 Gold Coin

To purchase a simple house in Burg: 500 Gold Coins

To purchase a cup of ale in Burg: 5 Copper Coins

A simple dinner at a Traven in Burg: 7 Copper Coins

To have a 'lady' sleep with you for one night in Burg: _Wait, I'm getting out of topic…_

To summarize, everything in Burg is cheaper compared to the Capital, since Burg is located right next to the border of the Human Continent. No sane human would want to live right next to the _Border_.

And so, by working as a Demon Hunter for a about a year and a half, I managed to purchase my first simple house when I was 15.

 _Hmm? My reason for purchasing a house?_

I guess the main reason why I wanted to have my own house as fast as possible, is because of Marian.

When I first came to Burg at the age of 14, I _accidentally_ wandered into the 'red-light-district' located in Burg ( _Yes, it was accidental. I didn't go there on purpose, honestly!)_. It was there that I saw 11 year old Marian, working as a slave in one of those 'prostitute Traven' ( _a place where you can have a meal, AND enjoy your night_ ). She was still too young to 'satisfy' the customers, so she was in charge of doing menial tasks.

I was at that moment that I walked up to the lady boss of the 'Tavern' and told her that I wished to purchase Marian. The lady boss looked at me with bewildered eyes, but told me that it'll cost me 50 Gold Coins. She also said that I have to purchase Marian before she reaches the age of 13, for that is the age where she can be sent out to 'satisfy' customers. To make things worse, I also wished to purchase a simple house at the same time of purchasing Marian. In other words, I had to earn 550 Gold Coins in 2 years' time.

I immediately went along the task of collecting 550 Gold Coins, killing demons that wander into Burg, acting as _escorts_ to protect supplies to be brought to the _Border_. I even went as far as hunting at the _Border_ so that I can encounter more demons, and perhaps even stronger demons. The more demons I kill, the more reward I shall receive. The stronger the demon is, the higher the reward. Let us not forget about those _Vampires_ : they pick up a high reward as well.

Of course, it was around that time where I got killed by the half-demon, and have _Perdo_ placed in me. As much as I hate being in debt to a demon, I am grateful for owning _Perdo_. Just like _Lacero, Perdo_ allowed me to perform feats beyond a normal human capability. I went around slaughtering demons with such vigor, that the soldiers at the _Border_ begin calling me _'The Immortal Hunter'_ , since I never fell, no matter how strong the demon I faced, or even if I stood alone against a swarm of demons.

In a way, the soldiers are not wrong, since I was _swaying_ in the path of a Demon, Vampire, and Human at that time. _Lacero_ 'shatters' my will as a Human, to pull me to the path of a Vampire. _Perdo_ 'ruins' my soul and thinking, and drags me down the path of a Demon. But the belief and determination to save Marian from a life of slavery and prostitution kept me balanced on the path as a Human.

Killing a demon at the _Border_ will earn you between 1-5 Silver Coins, though most of the time it's 1 Silver Coin. You can imagine the number of demons I had to kill to earn 550 Gold Coins.

After about one and a half years, I was able to keep my sanity as a Human, along with 550 Gold Coins. So, at 15 years old, I bought a simple but sturdy house in Burg, while freeing the 12 year old Marian from being a slave.

As for Charlotte, she came knocking on my door about one year after I 'purchased' Marian. The 12 year old Charlotte was crying, her blonde hair smeared with mud while her torn clothing had a thick stench of blood. Knowing that I am ' _The Immortal Hunter'_ , she begged me to accept me as my disciple.

As for Elisu, I 'found' her trapped inside the ruins of a collapsed house a few months after accepting Charlotte as my disciple. The 12 year old Elisu was the only survivor of a village that was attacked by demons.

I smirk as I think back to the expression that these three girls made when I saved them a few years back. The crybaby Charlotte is now a sarcastic disciple that acts all high-and-mighty even to her Master. The 'soulless' Elisu is now…just 'expressionless' most of the time I guess? Marian, who once accepted her fate as a slave, is now cheerful and is becoming more pretty with every passing day. If Marian moves to the capital, I am sure that the nobles will travel far and wide, just to propose to her.

 _Well, as long as they live their life to the fullest…as their savior, I am happy._

Once I finish my breakfast, I stand up, "Alright. I'll head to the Tavern to see if there is any task to undertake tonight."

"No need to cover it, Master. We all know that you just want to meet the barmaid at the Tavern right?" Charlotte starts to laugh.

"Just don't get her pregnant." Elisu speaks in a monotonous voice.

"…..Vena, it's no good to waste our coins." Marian seems to be pouting.

 _It seems like they really have no faith in me…_

"I'm just going to check out the available jobs, I swear!"

After that, I tell Charlotte and Elisu to take a nap first, since they helped me with the morning hunt. Marian will go out to buy some cooking ingredients at the meantime. After lunch, the three of them will head out to do some random tasks around the town, to earn some side income, while it is my turn to take a nap. And around evening, we'll hunt any demons around the vicinity of the town, our 'main income', while Marian prepares dinner. Night will be dinner, along with free time. That is the everyday life of the four of us in the town of Burg.

* * *

Part 2

Three days have passed since my disciples and I took down the demons at the inn. As usual, I leave my house after breakfast and head towards to Tavern. The pathways in Burg are dusty during normal days and muddy after downpours. Needless to say, it makes traveling very irritating. A horse-cart would pass by, sending specks of dust into the air. That is why most people walk around the town with their mouth and nose covered by a piece of cloth.

Thankfully, it only takes me 5 minutes to reach the Tavern by foot. I push the two swinging doors aside and proceed into the Tavern. Since it is still morning, the Tavern only has a handful of customers. Some are drunken-bums from yesterday, sleeping off their hangover. Most are travelers or merchants stopping by to grab a meal before they continue on their journey. The person behind the counter, as always, is the brother of the owner. He takes the morning and afternoon shift, while the owner takes the evening and night shift.

He notices me and merely continues with the task in hand; he knows the reason for my visits every morning. I cut left and proceed towards the long rectangle-shaped board nailed onto the wall. On it, requests to exterminate demons, made by individuals, are located on the left side of the board. The right side is reserved for requests made by the _Defenders_ to help hunt down demons at the _Border_.

Of course, simple and menial tasks requested by the townsfolk are placed beside the 'General Store' in Burg; Marian and my disciples would head there to earn some 'side income'. As for the requests made by the _Church_ or the _Holy Knights_ , they are usually placed at 'Cathedrals' (at places with larger population) or the 'Church Shelters' (at places with smaller population).

Coming back to my situation, I am looking for a job to take this coming evening, when my left hand starts to vibrate. The marking on my left hand glows dimly under my leather glove. I turn around and look at the counter. A man, who was not there before, sits at one of the stools at the counter. He covers himself with a dark-blue cloak, his head hidden by the hood.

He is smiling, his eyes hidden behind the hood. In his hand is a cup of ale, while another cup rests on the counter next to him. I let out a sigh and walk towards the counter. Sitting next to the man, I grab the cup of ale in front of me and finish it in one go. Just when I put down the empty cup, the barkeep places another cup of ale in front of me. I accept and drink half of it in one go. The man next to me laughs softly.

"You better pace yourself, Vena. It's too early to get drunk." the man speaks in a voice almost similar to mine.

 _Damn bastard…still trying to imitate me…_

I drink the remaining half of the ale; another full cup is place in front of me by the barkeep. I take a sip from my third cup and look at the man beside me; he drinks down half his cup in one go. Just then he passes a stack of silver coins to me; a total of 20 silver coins.

"I heard that a certain inn owner failed to pay you your deserved reward." the man speaks in a soft voice, "Here you go, for the hard work of your disciples."

"Millan, don't tell me you -"

"Don't worry; I did not hurt the inn owner. I merely made his coin pouch _lighter_. Besides, I am part-human. Even I know how to act like a human every now and then."

Yeah, Millan is the half-demon that killed me a few years ago. He revived me and placed _Perdo_ inside me. Since then, he would appear in front of me every now and then, just to _chat_. Frankly speaking, I find Millan as a mere acquaintance but he keeps insisting that we are friends, going as far as half-brothers. I got angry when he said that, thus Millan decided to stick with friends.

I accept the 20 silver coins and place them into my pouch, "So, what does the 'rising-demon-lord' want from a mere demon hunter like me?"

Millan laughs at my statement and pats my shoulder roughly. He finishes the ale in his first cup as the barkeep passes him a second cup.

"Don't say something like that, Vena. I am just a mere half-demon, with no significant power or position in the Demon Continent."

"Well, with all being said, I actually have a request for you." Millan continues as he places his cup down and takes out something from his pouch.

He places 2 Gold coins in front of me, "I want you to save a girl."

I look at the two Gold coins in front of me and try to process Millan's request: _Save a girl._

"Do you know about 'Lyfon village'?" he asks.

I nod and decide to remain silent. For two Gold coins, this request must be something dangerous.

Lyfon village. About a three day journey by Stagecoach from Burg. It's a village with no significance in the Human Continent.

 _Why would Millan want me to save a girl at Lyfon village?_

Millan whispers to me, "Not many people know this news, but Lyfon village has fallen to the hands of the vampires."

Vampires: those pale, ageless bloodsuckers…not really. They actually have the highest level of etiquette, even compared to humans. For that, they are a prideful race, thinking that they are better than the other races. Compared to Demons, I actually don't harbor any ill feelings to the Vampires. Might be due to the fact that I was raised my Master Minerva, or because I only hunt Demons while staying in Burg.

"How did this happen?" I ask Millan, who continues.

"I'll tell you when the time comes. So, this is my request. Head to Lyfon village, rescue a girl from the hands of the vampires and make sure that she is taken care until she is ready to stand on her own two feet."

I ponder at the request given my Millan: a three-day journey, 6-days to travel both ways. About a week to complete this request and the reward is 2 Gold coins.

"Of course, I'll provide the Stagecoach for travelling, as well as lodging when you arrive in the town just next to Lyfon village."

 _In other words, most expenses are taken care of. I just need to kill the vampires._

"It goes without saying, that I'll bring Marian and both my disciples."

"That is why I prepare a Stagecoach." Millan grins, as if he knew I'd say that.

Well, it's not like I can refuse a request from Millan. He did bring me back to life, though he is also the one that killed me.

"I accept your request." I take the 2 Gold Coins and finish the drink in my hand, "I'll need to restock some battle-supplies first, but we can leave after lunch."

"Very well, I'll wait in front of your house with a Stagecoach by then." Millan finishes his cup and pays the barkeep 4 silver coins, "We won't be stopping at any town as we pass them. It's a straight journey to Lyfon village."

"We still have to stop to resupply our food." I inform Millan, who then claps his hand, as if he remembered something.

"I forgot, humans need to eat daily to maintain their strength." Millan laughs softly, "Very well, we can stop for food but no sightseeing."

And so, we both part ways at the entrance of the Tavern. I head back home to inform everyone that we are heading to Lyfon village, while Millan heads somewhere else; most likely to get a Stagecoach.

Part 3

"And that is how it is. We'll head for Lyfon village after lunch, so have all the necessities packed and ready."

I try to stress that this request will put us against an army of Vampires; that this is a dangerous journey. However, Marian and Charlotte are excited, taking this as a 'trip to another village'. Elisu is as indifferent as always.

We split into two groups. Marian and Charlotte will buy all the necessary travelling supplies, while Elisu and I will head to the church to purchase Vampire-combat supplies.

"Elisu, how many _holy arrows_ do you have?" I ask my second disciple who is walking beside me.

"About 20 arrows."

"That's not enough to last the entire trip."

On a side note, _Purified arrows_ are effective against Demons, while _Holy Arrows_ are effective against Vampires. When I say 'effective', I mean that they'll explode when they touch their target. Of course, it's not like you can't fight demons and vampires with normal weapons; it'll just take you a longer time to bring them down.

We arrive at a two-storey wooden building. This sturdy looking building is without a doubt the only church in Burg. The further the church is from the main capital, the lesser the amount of coins the church shall receive from the main capital. This explains why this simple looking building can be called a church. Well, as long there is a cross at the top of the building, and the community can come here every Sunday to say their prayer…who's to complain?

Elisu and I walk pass the front gate and head towards the back door of the church. Since the town of Burg is built on a barren land, it is very hard to grow crops and plants. In fact, no matter how hard Marian tried, she only succeeded is growing five measly plants at the back of our house. However, be it because of the blessing from the gods, or some sort of magic, the church is able to grow plants at the back of the church, and at large quantities as well. This is a 'side income' for the church, where they would sell the vegetables to the public.

As we reach the back area of the church, I see a nun watering the plants, her black neck-length hair hidden behind her white veil. She hums a certain lullaby as she continues with her task.

"Ah, welcome, Master Vena. Good morning, Elisu." the nun greets us.

"Good morning, Sister Amelia." I bow down in respect while Elisu raise her right hand and waves.

"There is no need to call me 'Sister', Master Vena. We have known each other for such a long time. Please, let us keep this friendly." Amelia speaks as she puts down the watering tools and walk towards us. As a matter of fact, Amelia is the same age as me. Her breasts have grown splendidly for a nineteen year old.

"If that's the case, please drop the word 'Master' and I think we have a deal." I reply in a jokingly matter.

"N-No! I could never do that." Amelia replies in an anxious tone, "After all that Master Vena has done for the church and this town, it is only fair that we greet you with the respect you deserve."

 _Ah…did I do something to receive the praise of the church?_

Maybe it's because Burg only has two _permanent_ Hunters to fight against any wandering demons. Minus the _patrolling Holy Knights_ every now and then, we are the only ones who could actually protect this town.

"Anyways, I am here to purchase some Vampire-hunting supplies from the church.' I decide to move ahead with the main reason why we are here.

"Oh, going out to _hunt_? I understand. Please come this way, Master Vena." Amelia states as she walks ahead of us, towards the back door of the church.

"Hmm? Elisu, you've been quiet all this while. What's wrong?" I ask my second disciple as I nudge her forward, towards the church.

Elisu doesn't reply. She continues to grip the end of her shirt tightly with both her hands as she stares at Amelia and the church in a menacing way.

 _Guess this is no surprise. Elisu lost her faith on the church when the demons attacked her village._

I decide to pat Elisu on her head with my left hand, in an attempt to make her feel at ease. After all, we are here to get supplies, not go against the teachings of the church.

* * *

We make our way to the basement of the church. In front of us is Amelia, who is standing behind a wooden desk. Further behind her are two nuns, who seems to be around the age of Marian. They seem to be blushing…must be the weather.

"Now then, how can we be of service?" Amelia asks.

"For now, I'll need about 30 _holy arrows_." I state my order. Amelia raises her eyebrow while the nuns at the back start to whisper between each other, "As well as twenty small vials containing _holy water_. Finally, bring me seven big vials containing _holy water._ "

Amelia speaks my order to the two nuns, who in turn head to the back of the basement to grab my supplies.

"That is quite a large order you are placing, Master Vena." Amelia asks while we wait for the two nuns to return.

"Yeah, the request this time might involve some Vampires, so it's best that I am fully prepared."

"Vampires…I guess you must have heard the rumors spreading about the _Holy Knights._ "

"Rumors? What is it about?" I ask. One of the nun returns with a pile of _Holy arrows_ in her hands _._ She places them on the table, glances at me for a split second before running back behind.

 _Is there something on my face?_

"I guess Master Vena doesn't know." Amelia states as she begins to count the number of _holy arrows_ on the table, "There are rumors that the _Holy Knights_ are planning to purge Lyfon village, a village located east from here."

Amelia writes something on a piece of paper as she continues, "Rumors have it that Lyfon village has fallen into the hands of the Vampires. That is why the _Holy Knights_ are planning to purge every resident in Lyfon village."

 _Looks like Millan wasn't lying._

At the same time, Elisu picks us the _Holy arrows_ one by one and examines them.

"Out of curiosity, when do you think the _Holy Knights_ 'might' begin the purge?"

"Sometime this week I suppose. But this is just a rumor; don't think too much about it." Amelia finishes writing and passes the piece of paper to me.

On it is written: **'What I say is the truth. Please don't panic.'**

"I believe the _Holy Knights_ will have to assemble an army at the outskirts of Lyfon village first, not to mention the gathering of supplies. They will be ready to begin the purge in four to five days' time."

Now I know why Millan wants me to travel to Lyfon village as soon as possible. He wants me to save the girl before the purge begins.

The two nuns return a few seconds later, along with the rest of my order:

30 _Holy Arrows_ – 5 Copper coins each.

20 small vials of _Holy water_ – 1 Silver coin each.

7 large vials of _Holy water_ – 2 Silver coin each.

I ask Amelia to throw in another 12 _Purified Arrows_ , making the grand total of 55 Silver Coins.

Elisu is in charge of carrying the arrows while I take care of the vials of _Holy water._

"Thank you for telling me about the _rumor_ , Amelia." I state as I pass her 55 Silver Coins. She passes them to the two younger nuns.

"I'm glad that I was of use to Master Vena." Amelia replies as she walks us back to the back door.

With the two nuns behind her, they stop a few steps from the back door and bows down, "Be careful Master Vena…and good hunting out there. May the blessing of the church keep you and your companions safe."

 _Blessing of the church? Like that can save anyone._

* * *

Part 4

After leaving the church with our supplies, we pass by the Tavern. I notice a young boy and girl standing outside the tavern.

 _Wait…if they are here…_

Just as I suspected, a man walks out from the Tavern. He is holding a piece of paper in his right hand. He wears an old worn-out piece of _Defender_ armor, with a ragged black cloak behind him. He has a well-built body, as expected of an ex-Defender.

"Kolner!" I shout at him as we get closer to the Tavern.

Kolner looks towards my direction, his eyes widening as I come into his view.

"Vena!" he shouts with his loud and powerful voice. Most of the people stop whatever they are doing, wondering where the loud voice is coming from,

The young boy and girl stands on both side of Kolner as we finally reach the Traven.

"Vena! It's good to see you again!" Kolner greets as he pats me on my back, causing me to stagger, thanks to his bulky hands.

"Kolner, looks like you finally came back from your quest."

"Yeah! The quest was a success. 10 demons killed, zero casualties." Kolner laughs loudly as he boasts about his success.

Kolner is an ex-Defender currently in is early 30's. As I said before, there are only two permanent Demon Hunters in this town – Kolner and Vena. When Kolner retired as a _Defender,_ he left the _Border_ and decided to settle down in Burg, where he became a full-time Demon Hunter.

When I first came to this town at the age of 14, Kolner was already here, causing a whole lot of ruckus with his loud voice and brute strength in the Tavern. After that, I became a Demon Hunter as well, and we started becoming close friends, since we were the only two who can protect this town.

"Alright. This calls for a celebration!" Kolner declares as he tries to drag me into the Traven, "Come! Let us drink till we see the sun rise."

 _It's still morning you know! There's no way I can drink for 20 hours straight!_

I immediately free myself from Kolner's holding and straighten myself, "I'm sorry Kolner but not today. I have to fulfill a request."

"Is that so? No worries, there is always another time!" Kolner starts to laugh again.

Just then, a girl about the same age as Elisu, moves in front of Kolner and greets me, her dark blue hair flows downwards as she bows, "Good day, Vena. Hello, Elisu."

 _Wow, no honorifics whatsoever…not that I really care._

"Hello, Lisa. How is the life of a magician coming about?"

"Master Vena!" a boy appears from behind Kolner and tries to punch me. Instinctively, I leap backwards while Elisu dashes forward and punches the boy in the face.

"I see that you are as energetic as always; hello, Ron." I laugh dryly.

"I could say the same for your disciples! Elisu landed a fine punch there!" Kolner replies as he catches Ron from behind, making sure that he doesn't fall onto the ground.

Lisa and Ron are orphans who were adopted by Kolner a few years back. Lisa is the same age as Charlotte, fifteen. She is training in the arts of a magician. Though I say 'training', she doesn't have a Master who could teach her magic. She merely learns magic by the knowledge in certain books and countless attempts and experiments by herself. She gets combat experience by travelling with Kolner. She wears a grey-color Magician cloak and hood, while wielding a simple wooden wand in her right hand. A simple straw-bag is sling across her shoulder, with books and notes about magic.

Ron is a year younger than Lisa, fourteen. He is training to fight with a sword and shield, and style completely different from Kolner, who uses a heavy two-handed sword. While Lisa is a silent, cool-headed girl, Ron is a feisty, hot-blooded fighter, who jumps into the battlefield without a second thought, just like Kolner.

"That was a good hit, Elisu!" Ron speaks as he stands up straight. Looks like Ron is trying to speak loudly just like Kolner, "By the way, is Charlotte here?!"

 _Oh my…does Ron have 'feelings' for Charlotte?_

Nah, not really. Ron just enjoys meeting Charlotte because of her feisty attitude. She will punch and kick him with all her strength, while Ron will try to counter her attacks and retaliate. Basically, they are 'brawling-buddies'.

"I am sorry Kolner but I must take my leave now. We are leaving for Lyfon village after lunch."

"Lyfon village?! Vena, don't you know that-"

"I know what is _going_ to happen there, but it is a request. I must head there."

Kolner scratches his chin as he ponders over something. He looks at the supplies Elisu and I are holding. In the end he nods, "I understand. I know that Vena is not someone foolish enough to march to his own deathbed."

"Yeah, I'll live _long_ er than a reckless old man like you." I joking reply.

"Ahaha! We'll see about that! Be careful out there Vena! Protect your disciples. I believe this will be the first time they'll be fighting against Vampires right?"

I think back to the past few years of what we hunted, "Yes, this will be their first time."

"Make sure you guide them, well. Only you wield the title of the _Immortal Hunter_ , not your disciples."

"I'll keep that in mind as I get rid of those _ageless_ Vampires one by one." I bow down before excusing myself, Elisu does the same.

"Good luck, Master Vena!" Ron shouts at the top of his lungs. Lisa merely stands where she is, staring at us.

"You can count on me to protect this town while you are gone!" Kolner shouts as well, "Just focus on killing those pesky Vampires!"

With that, I part ways with one of my best friend. He'll stay here to protect Burg while I head east, towards Lyfon village.


	3. Chapter 2: The Journey (Part I)

**Chapter 2: The Journey (Part I).**

Written by: ~Skyle~

Part 1

Someone knocks on the house door just as we finished our lunch. I move towards the door after informing everyone to grab their belongings. In front of the door is a man in his late twenties. He is dressed neatly, a clean grey shirt, worn out black pants, and a light brown hat. He stands about the same height as me. In conclusion, he is someone I have never met before.

"Good afternoon, Mister Vena." the man greets me while lowering his hat slightly, "I am Paul, a Stagecoach driver. I am _employed_ by Master Millan to guide you and your companions to Lyfon Village."

 _Ah…so that's how it is…_

Finally understanding the situation, I ask Paul to wait for us at the Stagecoach for the time being. A few seconds later, Marian and my two disciples walks towards the Stagecoach with our baggage.

Speaking of the Stagecoach, it's a four-wheel coach with doors on both sides. The exterior is painted bark-blue, with two tough-looking horses at the front to pull us forward. The interior of the Stagecoach is spacious; three-rows of seats, where each row can hold a maximum of four adults.

Though spacious, it won't be a comfortable ride, since the seats are made of hard wooden planks, which won't be comfortable on our bottom during long journeys. Baggage's such as clothing and combat equipment's are placed inside the Stagecoach, at the last row. Cooking supplies and utensils are placed behind the stagecoach, along with some firewood in case we need to camp outside.

Paul checks one last time, ensuring that the all the baggage's are tied firmly onto the Stagecoach. Satisfy, Marian and my two disciples enter the stagecoach in high spirits, as if this is some sort of trip. I ask Marian to explain the surroundings to Charlotte and Elisu as we journey towards Lyfon Village. As for me, I sit at the driver's seat, next to Paul, outside of the Stagecoach.

With everything in place, Paul whips the two horses, and we begin our journey to Lyfon Village.

"Now then, Paul, why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

We just left Burg and are now at the open plains. Not much trees or any sort of vegetation can be seen, just the mountainous terrain at the horizon.

"I don't think you are from Burg right?"

Paul smiles at me while guiding the Stagecoach forward, "You are correct, Mister Vena. I am actually from a neighboring village call Garitto."

I pull the cloth behind of me aside, peaking into the stagecoach. Marian and Elisu are sitting at the second row, while Charlotte dominates the first row. Elisu sits at the right side, while Marian on the left. I see Marian open her mouth and says something while pointing outside the Stagecoach. In return, Charlotte looks at that direction, her eyes staring out into the open plains, mesmerize by mountainous terrain. Elisu looks towards the direction as well with her indifferent expression as always.

I smile, glad that they are enjoying this journey. If memory serve me right, this is the first time that I brought them travelling in a Stagecoach. Most of our requests are either in the town or within walking distance; there was never a need to seek transport.

 _Well, as long as they are having fun._

I put the cloth back in place and look back in front. I take a deep breath, " _Come forth, Perdo."_

Just as _Perdo_ appears in my left hand, I raise it towards Paul's neck. Paul doesn't act surprise or shock. He continues to look ahead, towards the road.

"Drop the act, _Paul_. I know for a fact that Garitto village was overrun by demons three years ago, and the land remains barren until today."

I know Paul was lying when he said he is from Garitto village. After all, that was the place where I saved Elisu, hiding at the basement of her destroyed house. I move _Perdo_ closer to Paul's neck. One wrong move and _Perdo_ shall taste blood.

"Stop screwing with me _,_ Paul. Who are you? How are you related to Millan?"

A grin appears on Paul's face, "Look like Master Millan was right, you are not a man to be tricked that easily."

"Allow me to reintroduce myself." Paul removes his hat and bows slightly, his face still facing the road, "My name is Paul, one of Master Millan's followers _._ "

"Follower…that means you're a _demon_?"

"Sadly no. I was born a human but currently, I'm a _half-demon_ like Master Millan."

 _A human that becomes a half-demon…is that possible?_

"Ah, my apologies. Allow me to explain my situation." Paul states after seeing the puzzled look on my face.

It seems that Paul really was from Garitto village. When the village was attacked by demons, Paul ran into the nearby woods. Unfortunately, some of the demons caught up to him and almost killed him. That was when Millan appeared and killed the demons. Seeing Paul in a half-dead state, Millan proposed to Paul the opportunity to continue living, a life as a half-demon.

Paul accepted the proposal immediately, for he didn't want to die. In the end, Paul remains alive as a half-demon, and has to serve Millan as one of his followers. I believe Paul's story because like him, I too was revived by Millan before.

With that, I lower _Perdo_ from Paul's neck, "To think that the _bastard_ has followers. Ugh!"

Paul laughs dryly, "Master Millan is someone like a 'Demon Lord' after all. It is no surprise that he has followers."

"Whatever." I rely rudely to Paul. I have no intention of getting on friendly terms with any of Millan's followers.

"Anyways, what's the travelling plan from here on out?"

Paul raises his head and looks further in front, "We'll continue this pathway until evening, where we'll make camp right below the mountainous terrain."

I notice that the pathway is slowly leading us towards the hilly area.

"The next morning we'll proceed through a slightly rocky pathway. We'll arrive at a town by afternoon, where restocking of supplies shall be done. After that, I plan to push forward without stopping until sunrise."

"Without rest?!" I ask in surprise, "What about the horses?"

"The horses are actually _demonic horses_. They can travel for 2 days straight without any rest."

As if to prove a point, one of the two horses looks at me. Red flames suddenly appear around the eye area and its mouth. It also makes a sound that resembles the werewolf I fought a few days before.

 _So they really are demonic horses…_

"I am sorry for forcing you and your followers to sleep in a moving coach." Paul continues.

"However, if all goes well, we'll reach the town of Pruna before afternoon. Over there, you can stay at Dixon's place. By the way, Dixion is also a follower of Master Millan."

 _Dixon? Who is that?_

"At that time, Dixon shall brief the situation of Lyfon village. From there, you'll have to decide how to proceed with Master Millan's _request."_

The town of Purna: about a 10 minutes ride (via stagecoach) before reaching Lyfon Village.

"Let us stick with that plan. I'm sure the girls in the stagecoach won't mind sleeping in a riding stagecoach."

"Ahaha, I hope so." Paul replies and continues to direct the coach up a hill.

Marian and my two disciples straight out reject the idea of sleeping on a moving stagecoach. Their butt aches after a few hours into the journey. Sleeping in it is out of the question.

In the end, they have no choice but to accept it, since I'm the one who makes the final decision. Before long, evening of Day 1 arrives.

* * *

Part 2

I sit in front of the fireplace and stare up to the sky. Dinner has long passed, and now the land is shrouded in darkness. Behind me stands two simple tents made in place by my two disciples. Charlotte and Elisu are sleeping in one of the tents, while Marian sleeps in the other. Behind both the tent is the Stagecoch, where Paul is sleeping inside.

He told me that there is no need to keep guard of the area. The two _demonic horses_ shall be doing that. So, at the fireplace is me, a horse rests on my left while the other on my right. Their eyes are closed, but I can see their ears twitch occasionally. It seems like they are really doing their job.

A rustling sound can be heard from behind. I turn around, only to find my first disciple walking towards the fireplace. I move towards my right, giving space for Charlotte on the dead oak trunk that I am sitting on. She walks towards me and sits on my left side. Though I look at her, Charlotte doesn't look back at me. She looks towards the fire, her eyes give the feeling that she her mind is somewhere else. While waiting for Charlotte to sort her feelings and thoughts, I decide to observe her outer appearance.

Charlotte is wearing a simple one-piece white nightgown that she usually wears. Though I call it a nightgown, it was actually made by Marian a few years back. Using the white shirt that Charlotte was wearing the day she came knocking on my door, Marian extended the shirt into a simple nightgown. Patches of cloth can be seen around the nightgown, as Charlotte grew in height, along with the fabric falling apart as time pass. Thus Marian had to extend the nightgown every now and then.

Charlotte blonde hair is the same as before, shoulder-length along with fringes at the front that grows right before her eyebrows. Traces of her cute childish, spoil-brat face can no longer be seen. All that's left is the face of someone who went through hardships in her life.

Her breasts are lacking for what you should expect for a fifteen-year-old girl. I'm not one to complain; breast size doesn't matter.

"Master…" Charlotte speaks with a timid voice, a voice that I have never heard for some time. She is still looking towards the fire.

"What's up?" I ask as I throw a block of wood into the fire. Sparks are sent into the air when the wood hits the ground. Charlotte doesn't even flinch. If it was Marian, she would have let out a cute squeal.

"Master…am I strong?" Charlotte asks me, facing me this time. Her eyes no longer emit her enthusiasm and lively side. This is the same eyes I saw three years ago; the eyes of an afraid girl.

 _Even if Charlotte is a 'Cursed child', she is still a girl…_

Though both her parents are human beings, Charlotte possesses physical force beyond the limits of an ordinary human. She can punch through walls easily, and send people flying towards the sky in just a single swing. Therefore, the _church_ identifies these individuals that have 'traits' different from an ordinary human as 'A cursed child', individuals who are no longer under the protection of their _Holy-God_.

In my opinion, the church is just spouting nonsense over something they cannot explain.

"Please answer me seriously, Master. In the eyes of the _Immortal-Hunter_ , am I someone strong?" Charlotte asks me again.

 _What a foolish question, my dear disciple._

"You are strong. Yeah, you are still inexperience, and not that observant of your surroundings…regardless, there is no doubt that you have the strength to stand on par with demons."

"I see…" Charlotte mutters and looks back at the fire. She looks like her spirit will break anytime soon.

Feeling irritated, I slap Charlotte's back with my left hand. She loses her balance and drops forward. I grab her with my right hand, feeling her breasts against arm. Returning her to the fallen oak, she looks at me with a slightly redden face. Even a _brute_ like her must have felt shy having her breast touched by a man.

 _Never mind about that…I need to reassure her. I'm her Master after all._

I look away and speak while scratching my head, "If it's about the _Vampires_ at Lyfon village…don't worry. Just like demons, they can be killed. You just need to whack a little harder, and faster."

Vampires are the very reason why Charlotte wanted to become my disciple in the first place. Her parents were killed by Vampires. She and her elder brother managed to run away at that time but her brother was caught and _eaten_ in front of her eyes. Be it luck of the act-of-god, when Charlotte ran after seeing her brother _sucked_ dry, the vampires did not give chase.

The reason why she chose to train under me is to become strong enough to kill the vampires that murdered her family. And now, she'll be meeting vampires again after all these time. She's afraid that she might be weaker than them; that this time, it'll be her turn to be _sucked_ dry.

"I fought with _Vampires_ before. I know how strong they are."

 _They are not really that strong…they're just agile and have higher regeneration speed…_

"As the disciple of the _Immortal Hunter_ , there is no doubt that you can kill a few Vampires with your bare hands!"

 _That is…the lowest and weakest vampires…_

I place my hand on her head. Our eyes meet. Tears can be seen at the side of Charlotte's face. I can't help but smile, when faced with such a cute disciple.

"B-But…what if I-"

"Just face the _vampires_ as they come. There's no need to be afraid. Test your skills against them. I'll be there to support you."

"Of course," I continue, " **IF** the vampires at Lyfon village are the ones that murdered your family, I'll let you kill the vampire 'boss' with your bare hands. Sounds like a sweet deal right?"

Charlotte looks at me with a blank expression. Suddenly, she covers her mouth with both her hands and begins to laugh softly. At a loss of what to do or say, I shift my gaze towards the fire.

"Thank you, Master…I feel better now." I hear Charlotte whisper towards my left ear.

I lose my vision for 5 seconds as Charlotte punches me straight on the face. I fly off my seat and land with my back against the stone-covered ground.

"That is for touching my breasts!" Charlotte speaks with her usual voice and storms back to her tent.

I check my face with my right hand, ensuring that my nose is not crooked, and that all my teeth are still in place. Thankfully, all is well with my face. I stand back up, using my left hand for support while my right hand rubs the painful parts at my face.

 _Ouch…guess it's time for me to sleep. Dear Demonic horses please take care of the place._

With that I walk towards the Stagecoach. Glancing into the tents, I can see Marian sleeping peacefully in her tent. In the other tent, Charlotte snuggles close to Elisu, a smile on her face. Elisu is sleeping with a calm expression.

I enter the stagecoach. Paul is sleeping at the second row. I lie down on the first row of seats. Using my black cloak as a blanket, I close my eyes and slowly fall asleep. With this, the first day of our journey comes to an end, without any incident. I can only hope that the second day is also the same.

* * *

Part 3

"Ahh! Finally! Some space to stretch!" Charlotte exclaims as she stretches both her arms the moment she steps out from the stagecoach.

"My butt hurts…" Elisu pouts while rubbing her small butt with her hands.

Marian stretches her arms as well without complaining.

It has been about six hours since our departure from the campsite. The sun shines high in the sky, meaning that it's around afternoon. In front of us is the town of Anzu, named after the noble ruling this town, Miss Anzu Slypher. This town is about the same size as Burg but it looks more organize and cleaner…most likely due to the management from a noble-class.

According to Paul, Miss Anzu is only 21 years old, meaning she's two years my senior. Since she is the youngest in her family, she was sent here to manage a small unknown town at the age of sixteen. Though I can't say that she did a good job, the fact that she succeeded in maintaining this town considering her young age, is already an amazing feat.

"Now then, feel free to restock your supplies and equip yourself with anything to help ease the long journey that is ahead of us." Paul speaks indifferently as he goes back to the driver seat of the stagecoach.

"I'll return in a few hours time, most likely around evening. Please be ready by then."

"Thank you for your help, Mister Paul. Is there anything you need us to help you buy for you?" Marian speaks as she bows her head.

"There's no need to mind me. Now then…" Paul replies as the stagecoach slowly heads the direction where we just came. If I am to guess, Paul is planning to meet up with Millan and report to him about our progress.

 _Well, that's not my problem._

With that, the four of us head into the town of Anzu. Our first destination: a tavern for lunch.

Inside the town, I can see proper organization of the buildings compared to Burg. There is only one entrance into the town. After the entrance are four rows of buildings arranged vertically. To my surprise, the buildings are all well maintained. As much as I wish to explore the town, we head straight into one of the nearby taverns.

The interior of the Traven looks similar with the one in Burg. The only difference is that there is no 'Request Board' located inside the Traven. Upon asking the barmaid who came up to take our order, she informs me that the Request Board is located at the center of the town.

 _I guess every town has their own method of displaying their requests._

As much as I wish to flirt with the barmaid, Marian and my two disciples are here. Thus, I decide to hold myself back. After placing our orders, we start to discuss our plans for now. Our main priority is to restock our food supplies. However, my three companion states that our main priority is to make the stagecoach seat more bearable for the long journey ahead. Seeing that I am outnumbered, I let them discuss about the stagecoach seats.

"We should buy comfortable pillows and pile them on top of each other inside the stagecoach!" Charlotte suggests something unreasonable.

"We don't have the luxury to waste our coins on something like that." Elisu shoots down Charlotte's point.

"How about we purchase sheep wool and wrap them using a cloth? It's somewhat similar to a pillow, right?" Marian states a feasible point.

"It won't be comfortable enough!" Charlotte rejects.

"Purchasing cloth and sheep wool is considerably cheaper than pillows anyway. Let us do that." Elisu agrees.

"Waa?! I'm being ignored!?" Charlotte starts to pout.

Looks like the first problem is solved the moment our food arrives. While eating our food, we proceed to our next topic: the food supply. Since Paul stated that we'll leave around evening, it's best that we grab a bite to eat before then, just a simple snack. It's best not to travel with an empty stomach or a bloated one. As for our food supply, I'll leave it to Marian to decide which materials to purchase since she'll be the one to prepare our meals.

Once we finish with our meal, I finalize our plan. The three of them will proceed to explore the town, without buying anything first. They'll compare the prices, see what's available, and enjoy their time in this town. We'll meet up again in three hours time in this tavern, to discuss what to purchase. As usual, Marian will be the 'group leader'.

With that, I pass her a pouch of roughly 100 silver coins. Upon peeking at the contents of the pouch, Charlotte pulls Marian's hand, towards the exit. She is rearing to explore this town. Elisu follows them from behind. Though she doesn't show it on her face, I'm sure that Elisu wants to explore the town as well.

 _Now then…what should I do…_

Upon exiting the tavern, my three companions are nowhere to be seen. However, I can hear Charlotte's voice somewhere behind, asking Marian and Elisu to hurry up.

 _For now, I'll check out the Request Board._

A crowd has gathered at the center of the town. Further ahead of the crowd, I can see the request board. Further ahead are rows sturdy looking houses.

For now, I head towards the crowd.

* * *

"Urgh!"

Someone falls on the ground, creating a loud *thud*. I stretch my head in an attempt to see what is happening. At the center of the crowd are two buff looking men. The man on the left is on the ground, glaring at the man at the right. The man at the right smirks as he has both hands crossed.

"Weak! Absolutely weak!" the man on the right speaks in a loud voice. The crowd cheers while the man on the left gets up and retreats into the crowd, pushing people aside before leaving the crowd.

"This is pathetic! Is there no one strong enough to face me?!" the only man remaining at the center of the crowd roars out, the crowd suddenly quiets down.

At the front of the crowd stands a figure. The figure has his entire body and face covered by a red hood and cloak. At the feet of the figure is a brown pouch, overflowing with silver coins.

 _Ohh…is this a match?_

If I am to guess, the man at the center of the crowd is the _Target._ The person who participates is the _Challenger._ The _Challenger_ has to pay a certain amount of coins to face the _Target._ If the _challenger_ wins, he can bring home a certain amount of coins from the pouch. If the _target_ wins, the _challenger_ goes home empty handed.

Since I am a Hunter, I can't contain the urge to face against someone strong. Immediately, I push my way into the crowd, trying to head to the open area.

* * *

Part 4

"I wish to participate!" I answer while raising my right hand.

The crowd immediately gives way; the path to the center is clear.

The man at the center is bald, with a muscular body. He is shirtless, with just a short pant. Behind him, I notice an armor on the ground along with a sword, most likely his.

"Hmm? You don't look familiar…are you a traveler?" the man asks with his deep voice.

"Yes, I am just a traveler heading to the town of Purna." I answer while bowing slightly, "Anyway, what are the conditions for me to participate in this match?"

The man raises his eyebrow and starts to laugh, "Sorry traveler, this isn't a place for you! I might break your bones without intending to! Please leave; I have no intention of being a murderer!"

The crowd joins in the laughter. Looking at the red hooded figure, he is smiling as well.

 _This much is to be expected, since I didn't state that I'm a Hunter…_

"I insist, please let me participate. I'm a _Demon Hunter_ after all." I smile and unsheathe _Lacero_ from my back with my right hand.

 _Lacero_ was hidden behind by black cloak, so it's no surprise that the crowd suddenly quiet down. Even the bald man puts on a serious expression. I can feel some killing intent from him.

"A demon hunter…" the bald man walks towards his armor and begins to wear them.

"S-Sir Hunter…" a man from the crowd speaks in a fearful voice, "to participate costs a m-minimum of 10 silver coins…"

"Ah, thanks for telling me." I reply, in which the man jumps slightly, "If that's the case, what's the reward amount?"

"T-T-Two times…the amount you p-put in!" the man is so afraid that he retreats from the crowd, standing about 5 rows behind.

 _Do I look that intimidating? It must be because I'm a Demon Hunter._

Looking back at the bald man, he is already in his white armor with a certain crest at the front, most likely the crest of a noble family.

"I was once a demon hunter, you know?" the bald man speaks while he swings his sword with his right hand. He flexes his left hand at the same time, "But I was given the opportunity to become a knight for the Slypher family. I am Sir Gren, personal knight and protector of Miss Anzu Slypher!"

 _An opportunity to become a Knight? Don't make me laugh._

I cannot contain myself and begin to smirk, "From the sounds of it, you weren't able to fight against the Demons. Thus you _gave up_ as a Hunter, just to become a _home-trained_ knight of some noble family."

I can see Gren's face turning red, like a huge, ripe tomato. It's not like I don't understand Gren's situation. Not everyone can stand against the Demons and live. However, the fact that he tries to state that [Being a Knight is more important than a Demon Hunter] is the part that irritates me. In my eyes, the _Defenders_ at the _Borders_ deserves more respect than _Knights_.

"Now then, how many coins are there in that pouch?" I ask while looking at the red hooded figure.

"… around 2 gold coins worth." the red hooded figure speaks.

 _Oh, it's a girl's voice. Sorry I thought you were a guy._

I rummage through my own coin pouch with my left hand while walking towards the red hooded girl. I take out 2 gold coin and toss them into the coin pouch, creating a *clink* sound as the coin lands in the pouch. The crowd gasps when they see me putting in the 2 gold coins. I can see the girl's mouth wide open, though her face is still hidden by the hood.

"I'll be taking that pouch after this match." I speak with an arrogant voice and return to the center of the field. Gren is already in a fighting stance, a double edge sword in his right hand, and a rectangular-shield about half his height but as wide as him. The shield has the crest similar to the one at Gren's armor painted on it, which I believe is the crest of the Slypher family. Gren places the shield directly in front of him, only showing part of his bald head.

 _A Knight hiding behind his shield…_

 _Perdo_ appears in my left hand while I twirl _Lacero_ with my right wrist. I place my left hand behind my back, hiding _Perdo_ from my opponent view. I move my right hand in front of me while I take my battle stance, placing _Lacero_ directly in front of me.

The crowd immediately takes a few steps back, giving us more room to move; how thoughtful of them.

"That stance…" Gren mutters while glancing at the girl behind with a red hood.

"There's no need to be surprise; it's the _duelist_." I reply as I take a step forward.

The art of the sword comes in many styles and variants. Among one of them is the _duelist_. With your blade in front and a dagger hidden behind your back, the _duelist_ focuses on swift, unexpected movements that are meant to confuse and surprise the enemy.

 _Now then…should I 'test the water'? Or let him make the first move…I'll force him to make the first move._

I continue to move forward, taking a step with my right leg while my left leg stays a step behind. Gren in turn continues to move backwards, until he reaches the edge of the crowd.

Knowing that he can't move back anymore, Gren takes a step forward, in which I also take another step forward. We are now about 4 steps away from each other.

 _Wait…let me lower his guard…_

Gren takes another step forward. I reply by taking two steps backwards. Gren looks at me with a puzzled face, wondering why I moved back. He takes a step forward, his shield still in front of him. I take a step backward, _Lacero_ still in front of me. Thinking that I am afraid of him, he lowers his shield slightly and takes another step forward.

 _Chance!_

I leap forward, closing the gap between us instantly. Gren has yet to process what I just did, for he is still looking at the place I was standing before. Gripping _Lacero_ tighter, I stab her ( _Yes, in my eyes, Lacero is a girl)_ at the middle of Gren's shield. He staggers due to my stab. As if by reflex, Gren impales his double-edge sword into the ground to balance himself. Because of initial strike on his shield, his left hand swings to the side due to the weight of his shield. With his sword deep in the ground, and his shield swinging to his side, he has left himself exposed.

 _Well that was fast…_

I reveal _Perdo_ from my back. Using the pommel of _Perdo_ , I land a hit on Gren's right cheek, in which Gren's entire body swings to the left; he has let go of his sword. As if to deal the finishing blow, I take a step forward and aim _Lacero's_ hilt at Gren's chest. With a single trust, _Lacero_ touches the armor, and Gren is sent backwards. He drops his shield and is now facing towards the sky.

I stand up straight again, with _Lacero_ and _Perdo_ at my side, "My opponent has let go of his weapons. The duel is over."

I look at the red-hooded girl for confirmation. Without saying anything, she picks up the coin pouch containing 200 silver coins and 2 gold coins, and ties it.

"The _Target_ has been defeated. The pouch is yours…" the girls throws the pouch towards me.

I catch the pouch with my left hand as _Perdo_ dangles at the side due to the chain attached to him ( _Yes, Perdo is a guy)._

"Well, this was disappointing…" I let out a sigh as I look at the coin pouch.

 _My blood is still boiling…_

"Let me offer a proposal." I take out my two gold coins from the pouch and drop the pouch containing 200 silver coins onto the ground.

I look at the girl hiding behind her red hood, "Would you mind accepting a duel from me? Miss _Anzu Slypher._ "

The crowd begins to become rowdy while the girl walks towards the center of the field; looks like she accepts my duel.

"Someone, please carry Gren to the doctor's place. He has lost consciousness." Anzu speaks in a voice fitting a noble: dignify and proud.

Three men approaches Gren and tires to pick him up. Supporting him, they slowly walk out of the crowd, heading towards wherever the doctor's place is.

"Well then, Miss Anzu." I point at the coin pouch on the floor with _Lacero_ , "If you win, I'll return the coin pouch to you. If I win, I'll take about 50 silver coins, and return the rest to you."

This should be a nice proposal. In the worst case, she loses 50 silver coins instead of 200 silver coins.

"…Understood, I accept the duel." the girl replies and pulls down her red hood.

My heart almost skipped a bit… _almost._

Hidden behind that hood is a beauty: Blonde hair that flows unto just before her hips. Her hair is tied in a twin-tail. The side of her hair covers her ears that stop just before the end of her chin. The front covers her forehead but reveals her beautiful blue eyes.

 _What's a beauty like you doing out here in this unknown town…_

She wears a simple blue shirt and long pants. Hidden behind the shirt are two _small hills_. Disappointing…truly disappointing.

 _No no…a girl is not ranked by the value of her breasts._

She removes her red cloak, and hands in to a lady who walks out from the crowd to receive it, most likely one of her maids. Another lady and man walks out from the crowd, holding her combat equipment. The man carries a set of armor while the lady is holding a sword and dagger, both still in their scabbard.

Anzu draws her sword from the scabbard. The sword has a thin but long blade and a semi-circular handle, the ideal weapon of a _duelist._

 _Don't tell me…_

"It's been a long time since I saw someone use the art of a _duelist_ …how nostalgic." Anzu speaks as she removes her dagger from its scabbard.

She declines to wear the armor, in which the man says that [Miss might get hurt]. Anzu replies that the armor will just hinder her movements, and orders the both of them to stand back. Reluctantly, the man returns to his position, while Anzu turns towards me.

She takes the stance of a _duelist_ , sword in front, dagger hidden behind, "Now then, shall we begin?

* * *

Part 5

The crowd around us has grown in size, as well as the amount of space given to us. From somewhere within the crowd, I hear Charlotte's voice, "Ah! Master is having a duel with a beauty! Unfair!"

At that moment, I notice Marian stretching her head from the crowd. First, she notices Anzu, in which she starts to frown. Upon turning towards my direction, she notices that I am staring at her. I smile back to her but Marian simple retreats back into the crowd, her face slightly red.

 _Shy Marian…how cute._

I turn back and face Anzu, who remains in her _Duelist_ stance. I take a deep breath, and position myself in a _duelist_ stance as well. Seeing the both of us in our battle stance, the crowd goes quiet.

Only Charlotte is unable to read the mood, "Go Master! Show that bumpkin that the _Immortal Hunter_ is to be feared-"

A *whack* sound is heard, and Charlotte stops talking. Most likely, it's Elisu reprimanding Charlotte as always.

 _Ahh…She went ahead and said it…_

As the crowd starts to become rowdy again, Anzu looks at me with a perplex expression, "You…you are…"

 _No use hiding it now…_

"How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself." I return to my original position and bow slightly, "I am Vena, from the town call Burg. I'm a Demon Hunter, who was given the title of _the Immoral Hunter_ from the soldiers at the _Borders._ "

"…To think that I would be given the chance to test my skills against the _Immortal Hunter_ …it's an honor." Anzu bows down at me. Now I'm starting to feel embarrass.

Immediately, she returns to her _duelist_ stance and glares at me with stronger killing intent. The crowd quiets down again. I too, take the stance of a _duelist._ Anzu takes one step forward. Just as I take my first step forward, she takes another step forward; we are now about 4 steps from each other.

 _Now then…who shall attack, and who shall counter…_

Those who learn the art of a _duelist_ usually fights using two styles.

The first style involves using the sword as the first strike, while attacking with the dagger in quick succession, nullifying the opponent from attacking. This style involves the user to be always on the offense, with the intention to take down their target as fast as possible.

Since _duelist_ lack in terms of armor or any sort of defense, the second style uses the sword as a mean to deflect or parry the opponent's strike, while attacking the target with the dagger. This style involves deflecting, staggering, or simply disarming the opponent, before going in for the kill.

In the battle against Gren, I used the first style, since I had no intention of actually killing Gren. However, in this situation, I do not know which style Anzu intends to use. I can only wait and see what she intends to do.

About half a minute has passed, and Anzu has not made her move.

 _Does this mean she is waiting for me to attack?_

No, that might be her plan to make me think that she is aiming to deflect my strike. Let me observe the situation a little while longer.

"…"

"…"

A full two minutes has passed and Anzu remains where she is. Her eyes are still glaring at me, making me believe that she might suddenly attack…but she doesn't. Even the crowd is starting to chatter.

I can feel myself sweating from the ferocious stare from Anzu.

 _Guess I'll make the first move…_

As I prepare to leap forward to close the gap, Anzu has already finished her leap and is now standing within piercing range of her sword.

 _When did she- ?!_

This girl! In that split second where changed my posture from defense to offense, she leaped forward. From the start, she intended to land the first strike; she was just looking for an opening.

 _Don't underestimate me!_

Timing myself, I intercept Anzu with _Lacero_ as she stabs me with her sword _;_ both sword clashes. Anzu's blade moves forward, aiming for my chest. _Lacero_ touches the blade and diverts it from my chest, barely gracing my left hip; first strike diverted. I move Perdo forward, intercepting Anzu's dagger; second strike diverted.

 _Time for me to-_

Suddenly, Anzu puts strength into her left hand, pushing me backwards with her dagger. I stagger for about two steps. Anzu is in front of me again, her sword ready to stab me.

 _Time to change tactic!_

I decide to use a tactic that learned from the demons I encountered. Putting all my strength into my left hand, I parry and push Anzu's sword aside with _Perdo._ She staggers at the unexpected force from my left hand. Raising my right hand, I bring _Lacero_ down with all my might. Anzu notices my threat, and moves her dagger in front to absorb my strike.

 _Guess I'll hold back a bit._

My strike comes down. Anzu is immediately pushed backwards. She eventually loses her balance and tumbles on the ground, rolling until she comes to a stop a few meters from the nearest crowd.

Anzu stands up, slightly shaken. She moves her left hand and checks her dagger. It's still in usable condition. She returns to her _duelist_ stance and moves forward slowly; one step…two steps…

Anzu is biting her lower lip. I guess she feel frustrated…or perhaps angry that I am using a different stance. I didn't say that I'll only use the art of a _duelist_ right?

 _Wait…aren't I acting a bit childish here? It's a duel…I should fight using the same battle stance as her…_

I mean, I should show her that I am far superior as a _duelist_. If not, this duel will hold no meaning. With that, I change from posture from a _Berserker_ (self-named) back to a _Duelist_. Anzu smiles for a split second as she moves forward.

 _I'll overwhelm her this time…with my 'Secret Technique'._

I stay where I am as Anzu moves forward. I need to ensure that she is not too close to the crowd. She takes every step with great caution, constantly looking at me, afraid that I'll make a move.

 _It's not like I can hit you when you are 10 steps away from me…six should be within range. Wait, there's the crowd to take into account as well…_

With that, I take 2 steps back, in which Anzu immediately takes three steps forward: 9 Steps apart.

 _Yeah, this should be far enough…_

7 Steps apart.

"Anzu, allow me to show you, _mastery_ over the art of a _Duelist_."

Anzu looks at me with a puzzled expression: 6 Steps apart.

I take a step forward, in which Anzu leaps forward, trying to shorten out gap.

 _Secret technique – Light-Piercing Strike!_

* * *

 ***Anzu's point of view***

 _What happened? What just happened?_

My trusted _duelist_ sword is no longer in my hand; it's twirling in the air to my right. In front of me, Vena, the _Immortal Hunter_ , has yet to move. His blade is still in front, with his dagger hidden behind his back. He is looking downwards, his face hidden from my view.

So, how did was my sword pushed aside? How?

"Attack me with your dagger." Vena speaks, his face still looking down.

 _It's now or never…Here!_

I move my left hand away from my back, aiming for Vena's neck with my dagger.

 _Wait….EHH?!_

Though I didn't look away, Vena is suddenly out of my strike range. He is standing about two steps away from me, even though he was just in front of me just now.

 _How?!_

Looks like my dagger will slice through the air without hitting anything.

"Though you can't see it…please bear with it." Vena speaks again without looking up.

 _Something_ hits my dagger. I am lifted into the air by a few inches, before being pushed backwards. I fly (a few inches) in the air, thanks to _whatever_ that hit my dagger. Looking at Vena, he is still looking at the ground in his _duelist_ stance.

 _Seriously, what just happened!_

I land on the crowd behind me. I am so sorry! I must be heavy! I am so sorry!

* * *

 ***Vena's point of view***

The duel is over. Anzu's blade is sticking into the ground on my left. Anzu herself just landed on the crowd behind her and has lost consciousness. The lady that is holding Anzu's red cloak runs towards her, follow by the other two that gave her the sword and dagger (and armor that she didn't use).

I place _Lacero_ back into her sheath as _Perdo_ disappears from my left hand. I can see Marian and my two disciples are running towards me from my right.

"Master! That was so cool! I couldn't see anything but…that was so cool!" Charlotte eyes sparkles, as if she is worshipping me.

"To hit a girl until she fainted…creepy…" Elisu keeps her distance and looks at me with a scornful face.

"Gosh! Vena! Why did you use a demon race fighting style! What if you accidentally broke her left arm!" Marian pouts as she hits me lightly on my right shoulder.

 _Why does Marian know about the Berserker stance (self-named)?_

Putting that aside, I pick up the coin pouch that is on the ground. Inside is about 200 silver coins. I take our 50 silver coins and hand them to Marian, in which she places them into the coin pouch that I gave her at the Tavern.

With that I walk towards the lady holding Anzu's red cloak, who I believe is one of her maids. She glares at me as I approach her.

 _Don't glare at me like that…it makes me feel sad to be hated by a lady._

I can see that Anzu eyes are closed. Her dagger is in pieces, but there's no wound on her face or body. Guess I was able to strike only her dagger without harming her body. Thank goodness.

"As promised, I'll take 50 silver coins. Here's the rest." I place the coin pouch in front of me, in which the lady quickly takes it with both her hands.

She continues to glare at me, "Please…LEAVE…"

 _I'm really hated here…_

"Of course, please excuse me." I bow slightly before turning my back to the crowd.

I walk out of the center area with my companions, in which the crowd immediately makes way for us. Some of them look at me with fearful faces, while others look at me scornfully.

Well, I did hurt the ruler of this town and land; their boss. It's no surprise that they would glare at me. Not like it'll matter. I have no intention of staying here for long. First, we'll buy our supplies, followed by a simple meal. By that time Paul should be waiting for us at the town entrance. We'll be out of here in no time.

* * *

Part 6

Purchasing our supplies after the duel is hard. Everyone looks at me with hated eyes and refuse to sell me anything. In the end, I decided to let Marian and Elisu do the shopping, while Charlotte and I wait at the entrance of the town. Charlotte is waiting with me because she is remembered by the people as one of my followers (because of her loud voice).

On the other hand, Marian is beautiful and rather persuasive, so she'll be able to get our supplies without any problem. Elisu didn't act that close to me at the duel area, thus she was forgotten as one of my followers.

Marian will buy our supplies while Elisu carries them back to our place. Charlotte and I will take care of our belongings while Elisu heads back to help Marian. Before long, Paul arrives with the Stagecoach. Though he stated that he'll be here around evening, there's about two more hours until then.

 _Guess Millan was spying on us. That bastard saw our situation and asked Paul to hurry back here._

When I ask Paul, he says [It's exactly as you said, Mister Vena]. Paul can act sarcastic at times. Finally, Marian and Elisu returns with their final purchase. Paul also returns with our snack, and suggests that it's better if we leave this town first before eating; we agree.

Loading everything that we bought, Marian and my two disciples climb into the stagecoach while I sit next to Paul at the driver's seat. The stagecoach slowly rides back to the main road, leaving the town of Anzu behind us.


	4. Chapter 3: The Journey (Part II)

**Chapter 3: The Journey (Part II).**

Written by: ~Skyle~

Part 1

We continue our journey for about 10 minutes before Paul stops at an open area. We get out of the Stagecoach and have our snack first.

"Master! That _thing_ you used back at the town, please teach me!" Charlotte speaks with her mouth full. Thankfully, I was not that close to her, thus the crumbs fail to touch me.

 _Teach them...is that even possible?_

I look at Charlotte and Elisu. The _art_ or a duelist requires the individual to use a sword and dagger. Charlotte fights with her fist, while Elisu uses a crossbow.

"I don't think it's possible." I reply as I take bite into my sandwich, "You fight with your fist; the _duelist_ style is not for you."

"Ehh!?" Charlotte starts to pout. Elisu continues to eat her sandwich.

"Vena, don't talk with your mouth full!" Marian warns me as she looks at me with a stern expression, like a guardian towards a kid.

"Then, then…teach us the one where you took a step back so fast, our eyes couldn't follow!" Charlotte continues to talk even though her mouth is full.

"Hmm? You mean the _Flash Step_?"

"Yeah! Teach us that!"

"Charlotte, stop talking with your mouth full." Elisu finally explodes and punches Charlotte's face.

 _Well, the 'Flash Step' is just training your footwork…no reason why I shouldn't teach them._

Now that I think about it, though Charlotte and Elisu calls themselves my disciples, their fighting styles are completely different from mine. My battle tactics involve a blade and dagger, Charlotte involves her fist and leg, while Elisu depends on precision and movement.

To be honest, other than the basic combat moves, I have yet to teach them anything else these past few years. Their own battle styles were made through their own experience against demons.

 _I fail as a Master eh…_

"Alright! Charlotte, when we return to Burg, I'll teach you the _art_ of a Berserker (self-named). As for Elisu…"

"You can't teach Charlotte the _Berserker_ stance! It's dangerous!" Marian suddenly voices her concern.

"Don't worry. Charlotte is a feisty girl. The Berserker stance will suit her well."

"But!"

"By the way. Marian, how do you know about the Berserker stance? I'm pretty sure I didn't tell anyone about it."

It's surprising, since this is a combat style that is used by the Demon race. Very rarely do humans actually learn them, or even know about them. Yet Marian, who has never been to a battlefield, or met a demon face to face, knows the existence of such a move.

"I…I heard it…f-from some adventurers some time back…" Marian answers while averting my gaze.

 _Suspicious…'Berserker' is my self-named stance..._

"Sorry for interrupting," Paul cuts-in while walking towards us, "but I have something to report."

According to Paul, there's a pack of wolves roaming around the road ahead of us. He estimates 10 to 15 of them. Also, at one part of our journey, it seems that a group of demons have been sighted. If we continue our path, we are bound to encounter the demons. Another option is to use an alternative road, though it'll take us another day to reach Purna.

"This goes without saying that we'll take care of the pack of wolves, as well as the demons." Paul gives his decision without waiting for our reply. Seems like he has already made a decision in his head; he is just informing us of the troubles ahead.

"Therefore, please equip yourself with your combat gears. The pack of wolves is just up ahead." Paul turns away and returns to the driver seat of the stagecoach, prompting us to continue our journey.

"I hate that guy…" Elisu grumbles as we return to the stagecoach.

"Finally! I can't wait to kill some wolves and demons!" Charlotte is rearing to go.

"Everyone…please be safe." Marian can only say her usual words.

When we return to the stagecoach, Charlotte puts on her gauntlet and leg armor. Elisu prepares her crossbow with normal arrows (since we are up against normal wolves) while I put on my black cloak (just to look cool). With that, we continue our journey.

I remain seated next to Paul, while Charlotte is crouching on top of the Stagecoach, ready to jump at the pack of wolves. Elisu is…sitting on my lap. I can feel her small butt touching my leg, her back resting on my chest, while her black hair tickles my nose.

I am hugging Elisu tightly, to ensure that she doesn't fall off the stagecoach. Sadly, I am unable to feel anything in front since she is clutching her crossbow tightly against her chest.

 _Unable to feel the front…oh wells. At least I can feel her butt with every bump on the road._

"…"

 _Hmm? Why is Elisu staring at me?_

"Is there something on my face?" I ask.

"…wipe that _perverted_ smile off your face." Elisu replies and kicks my knee.

Paul starts to laugh beside me while I hear Marian's voice behind saying, "What are you doing to Elisu!"

* * *

Part 2

"Ah! I see the wolves ahead!" Charlotte shouts after 15 minutes into our journey.

Since evening is yet to come, I can see the pack of wolves clearly. At this distance, I count about 13 wolves but there might be more hidden. Looking closer, I see the carcass of two horses, and a turn over wagon. I'm not surprise if the wolves actually killed the owner of the wagon.

 _With demons appearing in this land, even the animals are starting to turn feral…_

"Paul! Faster!" Charlotte begins to rant. She is rearing to kill some wolves.

"Vena, what's the plan?" Paul asks as he speeds up.

"Charlotte will jump into the pack wolves, Elisu will shoot her crossbow, and I'll do what I do best." I reply nonchalantly.

If my disciples can take on demons, a pack of wolves isn't a threat.

"Elisu, watch your step." I lift Elisu up, to the top of the stagecoach.

Charlotte helps to support Elisu up. Both my disciples are now on top of the Stagecoach.

About 200 meters from the pack of wolves, Charlotte stands up straight from her crouching position and walk towards the back end of the stagecoach.

"Master! I'm off to kill some wolves!" Charlotte shouts aloud. The wolves hear her voice and begin to run towards us.

"Leave some for me." I reply as I stand up from my seat, drawing out _Lacero_ at the same time.

"Haaa!" Charlotte roars and begins to run towards the front of the stagecoach.

At the edge of the stagecoach, she leaps into the air. Like a projectile, she flies in the air with a curve, before descending in a curve as well due to gravity. She easily covered 75 meters.

"Hurryah!" She steps on one of the wolves as she lands, squashing it to death while using its body to absorb her landing impact. At the same time, she grabs a wolf in each of her hand and swings them in opposite directions. The two wolves fly in the sky before landing on the ground, bones broken and crippled.

 _Looks like she is doing well…_

Charlotte snaps the neck of a wolf while doing an uppercut with her left leg on another wolf. One of the wolves manages to stay within the _blind spot_ of Charlotte. Taking this opportunity, the wolf bares its fangs at Charlotte's back. Suddenly, the wolf is shot in its head with an arrow. The arrow sinks deep into a tree trunk, leaving the wolf to dangle a few inches above the air.

Elisu is lying down in a prone position on top of the Stagecoach, with her black crossbow slightly in front of her. She places another arrow into the crossbow, pulls the wire back, and takes aim. Satisfy, she fires the arrow from her crossbow. Even though she fired from a moving position while her target is moving as well, she lands a hit. A wolf falls on the ground, unable to move since it was shot in the stomach.

 _As expected, Elisu's precision is second to none._

Observing the situation, it seems that there's no need for me to join the fray; both my disciples are handling the situation by themselves. The stagecoach has stopped moving about 30 meters from Charlotte's position. Elisu continues to fire her arrows while supporting Charlotte.

Suddenly, a loud roar can be heard. It's the sound of a wolf roaring…but its volume is way too loud for a wolf.

"Vena, I guess that is you queue." Paul smiles and point towards my left.

Looking there, I see a titan wolf at the edge of a cliff. The titan wolf leaps and lands a few meters behind of Charlotte, causing the ground to shake. The remaining wolves backs away, and run towards our stagecoach. It's as if they are leaving the _monster_ (Charlotte) to their _Alpha wolf_ (Titan wolf) while they head to the easier target (our stagecoach).

"Charlotte!"

I leap from the stagecoach and dash towards Charlotte, _Lacero_ and _Perdo_ in both my hands. Charlotte turns around, wondering who it is behind her. She doesn't know the threat looming behind her.

Elisu tries to clear me a path by shooting the wolves heading towards my direction with her crossbow but she needs time to reload after every shot. I notice the titan wolf has raised its right paw, ready to swipe Charlotte. Though she notices the titan wolf, she merely stares at it with a blank expression on her face.

At this rate, I won't be able to reach Charlotte in time. If I take on the pack of wolves a few meters in front of me, they'll only slow me down. I won't be able to save Charlotte; she'll be swipe by the titan wolf and lay dead against a tree.

 _No! I won't let my disciple die! I'll save Charlotte!_

I grip _Lacero_ tighter; the wolves are now in front of me, their sharp fangs bearing at me.

" _Lacero!_ Give me your strength!" I shout aloud, raising _Lacero_ to my side.

 **{Hmm? Ahh…you did feed me blood…ok, go ahead~~ }**

After hearing _her_ voice, I feel my _existence_ change. Thought at the outside my body doesn't change, I know that inside I am changing. I am able to see further, my body feels lighter, my breathing becomes less harsh, and my muscle feels less tense.

On the outside, I feel two of my teeth grow longer and shaper. And so, I turn into a _Vampire._ The wolves sense my change and try to stop their charge but it's too late; they are already within my range.

 _Secret technique – Judgment Strike!_

* * *

 ***Charlotte's point of view***

In front of me stands a wolf two times higher than our stagecoach.

 _Ehh? Why is it so huge?_

If memory serves me right, it's not possible for a wolf to be of this size. Even if this is the leader of the pack, the _Alpha wolf_ , it couldn't be this big.

When I saw the pack of wolves, I thought that this will be an easy task; no wolf could hurt me. I face demons straight on with my own bare fist and feet. A pack of wolves is nothing but simple targets.

Yet, standing in front of me, with its paw raised up, is a titan wolf. And then it hits me: _This is a demonic wolf_. Its sharp fangs and overflowing saliva resembles those of a demon. It's bulky size and rough skin hidden behind its black fur resembles the toughness of a demon.

Yes, I'm absolutely certain now. In front of me is a demonic wolf.

 _I have to move…fight back…punch it…_

Yet my body refuses to move. My legs are stuck in place, crippled by fear of the monster in front of me. My hands are trembling; this is my first time facing a demon of this size.

 _Come on! Move! I can't die here!_

Yes, I can't die here. I made a promise with myself years back; a promise to avenge my family.

 _I can't die here! Not until that vampire is dead!_

No matter how much I try, my leg refuses to budge and there is no strength within my hands. I can only stand in place and stare as the titan wolf prepares to bring its paw towards me.

Though I am unable to see but I know that behind me, Master Vena is running towards with will all his strength. However, at this distance, he won't be able to reach in time. My fate is sealed.

 _Ahh~~ I'm going to die. And I haven't tested my own strength against a vampire. I am sorry, Vena; I fail as your disciple._

Yeah, I am a failure. The fact that I couldn't move while facing this demon wolf shows that I am still weak. The paw of the demon wolf is getting closer to me. The paw itself is as high as me. I close my eyes and await my death. Surprisingly, at death's doorstep, I begin to think about stuff other than revenge; I begin to think about stuff I didn't do as a girl.

 _Ahh~~ there's so much regrets. I've yet to have my first kiss. I have not even lost my virgi-_

A strong breeze suddenly blows from behind me. Something pushes me from in front. I lose my balance and fall on my back, my head lands on something soft; perhaps the body of a wolf I killed.

 _Eh? I'm still alive?_

Slowly, I open my eyes, wondering what just happened.

"?!"

In front of me stands my Master. His black cloak is fluttering towards the right. To be honest, I do not like my Master's cloak; it looks so old and ragged. However, Vena continues to wear it, saying that it's his _identity._

With a sword and dagger in both his hands, he stands heroically at the spot where I was just standing.

 _Master? How did you…_

No matter how fast Master Vena is, it's impossible for him to reach me so quickly.

 _Wait! Before that…watch out Master! The paw…?!_

The right paw of the demon wolf has been cut clean from its hand. The demon wolf is roaring while leaping behind as its chopped-off paw lands right next to Master Vena.

"Huu...seriously, you are such a troublesome disciple." Master speaks without turn back.

"Because of that, you almost got killed. That is why you'll always be my disciple …for you are not aware of your surroundings." Vena slowly turns his face towards me.

 _That….no…._

My Master's eyes are…red in color; the trademark eyes of a _Vampire_. I can see two sharp teeth jutting out from his mouth; another _Vampire_ trademark.

Though Master told Elisu and me that he can turn into a Vampire or Demon at certain times, we never believed him. There's no way our Master, the one who killed countless Demons and Vampires, would be able to turn into one of them.

"M-Master …w-why…" I blur out.

Yet, because of me, my Master has turned himself into a Vampire, to come to my aid.

"Ehh…it's not like the effect it permanent. I can turn back into a human later you know…" Master Vena speaks as he forces a smile on his face.

 _Oh…he can turn back…thank goodness…_

Though in front of me are the red eyes and two sharp teeth that I hate and loath…when I stare into my Masters eyes, I feel calm, like everything is going to be fine. Suddenly, tears begin to roll down my eyes. I try to wipe them with my sleeves but my tears just keep flowing.

"I-I don't want _*hic*_ t-to die…* _hic* *hic*_ Please save me, Master!" I begin to cry even louder.

 _It's been a long time since I cried this hard…not since the day my family was killed…_

I can feel Master's hand on my head; he begins to pat my head.

I open my teary eyes, only to see a blur image of Master looking straight at me. He kisses my forehead and looks back at me, our forehead touching each other.

"Leave it to me. You have done enough, Charlotte. It's part of the Master's duties to clean up after his disciples."

With a voice full of confidence, Master Vena moves away from me and turn towards the titan wolf.

 _Yes, I'll believe in you, Master…_

* * *

Part 3

 ***Vena's point of view***

After comforting Charlotte, I stand back up and turn around to face the demon wolf. Looking behind Charlotte, I can see the dead bodies of the wolves I killed with my _secret technique_. Some of them are sliced in half, while others are dismembered into large chunks.

 _As expected…Vampire-form can do it more efficiently…_

I notice Elisu running towards my direction, without her crossbow. This means she is coming here to help Charlotte, not me.

 _Good…her support will only be in the way._

Leaving Charlotte to Elisu, I begin to approach the demon wolf, which has retreated quite some distance. Its wounded left arm dangles in the air, blood dripping from the wound. My throat starts to feel a bit dry.

 _Aww…such a waste of blood…_

It notices my approach and roars, as if to intimidate me. I smirk and continue to approach the titan wolf. Realizing that I'm a threat, the titan wolf starts to crouch as it attempts to jump.

 _Not so fast!_

I swing _Perdo_ towards the demon wolf. _Perdo_ ties itself around the front left paw of the demon wolf; the paw that isn't wounded. I pull the chain linked to _Perdo_ , and it begins to retreat back towards me. It drags the demon wolf along with it. Since its right paw was cut and its left paw is immobilized by _Perdo_ , the demon wolf can do nothing but struggle as it is brought closer towards me.

It roars and uses its back legs to fight back, but it's useless; the demon wolf is as good as dead.

In a desperate attempt, it lunges itself forward in an attempt to devour me.

 _Haa…animals…no, 'demons' will be demons…I knew you'd do that._

I do a simple side-step to my right in order to avoid its mouth. Next, I raise _Lacero_ and stab _her_ deep into the demon wolf's forehead.

With that, I chant, " _Lacero,_ drink to your heart's content."

 **{Hmm? The forehead? I don't like drinking from the head though…}**

"Don't be picky. I worked really hard to bring this demon down." I whisper softly to myself.

 **{Ugh…can't be helped. Fine, thank you for the blood~~}**

 _Lacero_ begins to absorb the blood within the demon wolf. Due to that, it begins to struggle more violently than before. Though it struggles, its death is already certain. As time passes, _Lacero_ consumes more blood while the demon wolf stops struggling. After having its blood completely drained, the demon wolf goes limp, its eyes closed.

 **{Thank you for the blood~~}**

I release _Lacero_ from the head, wiping the blood off her blade with my black cloak.

" _Lacero_ , return me to normal." I speak to my sword.

 **{Ehh? No way~~ you look better as a Vampire~~}**

" _Lacero_ " I speak in a low tone, "Don't make me _starve_ you."

 **{Ugh…fine. One of these days! I'll make you see the benefits of being a Vampire!}**

I feel my _existence_ returning to normal. I feel the two sharp teeth returning to its original size. My breathing becomes heavier, my eyesight returns to normal, and my body feels heavier again; I have become a human once more.

I turn and walk back to the Stagecoach. Marian and Elisu are supporting Charlotte on their shoulders since she has fainted. Marian is showing a puzzled face while Elisu stares at me with her usual emotionless eyes. Paul remains at the driver's seat of the stagecoach, with a huge grin on his face.

I place _Lacero_ back into _her_ scabbard as _Perdo_ disappears from my left hand.

"Vena…are you alright?" Marian asks me with a worried expression.

"Yup. Look, I'm _human_ again." I reply while showing my front teeth.

"Hmph."

"Ah! Elisu! Don't suddenly move like that!"

Elisu lets go of Charlotte and turns around, walking back to the Stagecoach. I move in to support Charlotte along together with Marian. Elisu sits at the second row while Marian sits at the first row with Charlotte lying down, resting on Marian's lap.

Feeling a little envious of Charlotte, I pinch her left cheek before closing the door, in which Charlotte responds with an _'Umuuu~~'_

I sit next to Paul, and we continue on with our journey. I stare at the dead bodies of the wolves, horses, and the owner of the wagon (who seems to be a young man) as we pass them. Since we have no obligations to clean up the corpses, they'll be left where they are.

"I'm surprise by all of your companion's reaction." Paul speaks as we continue to cut through the woods, "I thought that they'll react in a more… _shocking_ way."

Marian and Elisu knows about my ability to _transform_. I told Marian about this ability when I first _bought_ her, while Elisu saw me with this ability back when I saved her in Garitto village.

 _Only Charlotte doesn't know…_

It's not like I was keeping it a secret from Charlotte. There just wasn't a situation where I needed to use it.

 _Guess it's just bad timing…_

When Charlotte wakes up, I'll tell her about it. She might punch or hit me. Worse, she might hate me…

 _No~~ I don't want a girl to hate me…_

Regardless, she has to know the truth.

The Stagecoach finally passes through the wood, making its way back to the road.

"About the demons up ahead, Master Millan has taken care of them. It'll be a smooth journey to the town of Purna from here on out." Paul informs me while looking ahead.

"Ho…he finally decides to make himself useful." I reply.

Paul merely laughs dryly. We continue or journey in silence.

* * *

The sun has set some time ago. We made camp at the side of the main road, facing an open field. Paul has set up a fire and is helping Marian to prepare dinner. As much as I hate leaving Marian alone with a _shady_ figure like Paul, this one time I shall make an exception.

My two disciples and I are sitting a few steps in front of me. Charlotte has not said a word since she woke up. She head is facing away from me; looking at the fire. Elisu is looking upwards; staring at the night sky.

I clear my throat, signaling that I wish to speak.

"Master! I am sorry for what I did!" Charlotte suddenly speaks loudly and bows down, the forehead almost touching the ground.

Even Elisu shows a shocked expression.

"I was unable to react toward the demonic wolf! I was weak! I fail as your disciple!"

"…"

"Please punish me! I have tarnished the name of the _Immortal Hunter!_ "

"Well, I don't intend on punishing you-"

Elisu grabs the back of Charlotte's head and pushes it to the ground.

"Eat dirt; that is your punishment." Elisu speaks with a cold tone.

To my surprise, Charlotte opens her mouth and begins to bites into the earth, swallowing as well.

"Charlotte! Don't do that!" I push Elisu's hand aside and try to lift Charlotte's head.

She refuses to budge and continues to chew the earth in her mouth.

"Stop doing that!" I apply more strength, forcing Charlotte up. She coughs, spitting out the earth in her mouth. I pat on her back while she continues to cough. Elisu remains at her position, staring at us with an indifferent look.

"I-I know that * _cough_ *…that I failed as your disciple- * _cough_ * * _cough_ *" Charlotte tries to speak with some of the earth irritates her throat.

"But…I want to continue-"

Marian runs over with a flask of water, which I force Charlotte to drink down. She chokes again and spits out the water in her mouth. Thankfully, she wasn't looking at me.

Charlotte continues to cough while breathing heavily, her face looking at the ground.

"I…" Charlotte speaks softly. I hear a sobbing sound. She finally looks up at me.

"I-I want to continue learning under Master! Please don't give up on me!"

Facing me is my first disciple, Charlotte Boreas. Her Blonde has is in a mess, with dry leaves and small twigs dangling around the sides. Her face is covered with earth and mud. Her teary brown eyes are the only part that is considered _clean_ on her face.

"I still wish to learn! To become stronger! Please don't – _Muguu?!~~_ "

I wipe her face with my black cloak, muffling her voice. Like a child, I pinch her nose and rub hardly against her face to remove all the dirt. Elisu helps by removing the leaves and twigs on Charlotte's hair.

"Never once did I think of dropping you as my disciple." I try to speak in a gentle voice as I continue to wipe her face, "I'll keep teaching you until you succeed in taking your _revenge._ "

I remove my black cloak from Charlotte's face and flick her forehead. She lets out a cute sound.

"Just don't make the same mistake again." I stand up and look towards my second disciple.

Elisu understands what I'm trying to tell her. She lets out a sigh and tries to pulls Charlotte up, "Come…let us go wash up."

Charlotte stands up while looking at me. Elisu pinches Charlotte's cheek and pulls it, forcing her to look away from me, "Stop staring at Vena…"

I turn around and proceed to help Marian prepare dinner as my two disciples _wash up_. After dinner, Charlotte is back to her usual self, talking with a loud voice while acting sarcastic occasionally. She's doesn't react in a negative way when I tell her about my _ability_.

"That's Master Vena own power. I'm in no position to comment on it."

With dinner done, we pack up and continue our journey into the night, heading closer and closer to Lyfon village. To be honest, it's almost impossible to sleep in a moving Stagecoach. However, we'll endure it for now; all for the sake of arriving at our final destination earlier.

* * *

Part 4

The town of Purna – A town unofficially recognized as a city. Though located near the outskirts of the Human Continent, Purna is surprisingly growing in size. This town is mainly used by the soldiers at the _Border_. When the soldiers are permitted to leave the _Border_ to rest and relax, the nearest town which is able to provide _entertainment_ and good _meals_ can be found in Purna. Therefore, the town of Purna is frequently visited by soldiers.

When there are crowds, there are business opportunities. Certain merchants will come to here to sell their products, mainly combat gears, lucky charms, and many more.

That is the lifestyle in the town of Purna.

Purna comes into our sight as the Stagecoach turns the corner. Looking at the size of the town, I wonder why it isn't called Purna _City_. Its size makes Burg look all so small.

"Dixion's mansion is located at the center of town." Paul speaks as the stagecoach rides down the hill, "Sadly, I can only drop you off at the edge of the town. A stagecoach of this size cannot enter the town, unless you are a noble."

I can hear voices from inside of the Stagecoach. I don't have to peek inside to know what is happening.

"Dixion…" I try to remember the name of the person we are about to meet, "what does Dixion do?"

"Dixion Turton owns a few Taverns in town, as well as a few plots of land north of Purna. He uses the land to plant grains, and rare some cows and chickens. It goes without saying that he is a noble"

 _In other words, he is an important noble in this town._

"Don't need to look so tense." Paul smiles at me, though all I feel is irritation, "Master Millan takes you as his important friend. As long as you do not offend Dixion, you'll be fine."

"Ha…" I'm too lazy to reply Paul.

As we approach the South entrance to Purna town (there's a total of 3 entrances), I notice two ladies wearing maid attire, standing next to three horses.

Paul gives me a glance that says _'there's your escort'._

"Just for fun, why don't you try attacking them once we arrive? You'll see something _amazing._ " Paul starts to chuckle.

As expected…Paul is irritating. With that, _Perdo_ appears in my left hand as I grab the handle of _Lacero_ with my right hand.

 _Can't be helped…I'm curious…_

When the Stagecoach arrives in front of the two maids, they bow down.

Based on their outer appearance, the older of the two ladies seem to be in her early thirties. Her black hair is tied in a bun; wrinkles can be seen on her face, though it doesn't make her less attractive. She has the alluring aura that can only come from a _mature_ woman.

The younger maid seems to be about my age, or slightly older; perhaps in her early twenties. Her long brunette hair is also tied in a bun. Though younger than the first maid, her _front mountains_ are already on par, if not bigger. I wonder how they'll be like in the future.

 _No! A girl's breasts do not measure a girl's attractiveness._

Yeah, her lovely lips and attractive collarbone-

 _Wait! I'm not a vampire!_

I shake my head and move my gaze away from the younger maid. The door of the Stagecoach opens.

"Greetings, Master Vena, Miss Marian, Miss Charlotte, Miss Elisu." The older maid speaks while keeping her head down, "On behalf of Master Dixion, welcome to Purna."

"I am Licia Mills," the older maid gestures at herself, "and this is Lara Mills." Licia gestures at the younger maid, who remains in her position.

"…"

I continue to stare at them. Marian and my two disciples remain silent. They are waiting for me to speak first.

 _Let me try Paul's method._

I jump down from my seat, while drawing _Lacero_ out from _her_ scabbard.

 _Hmm…who to aim…guess I'll go with her…_

The moment my feet touch the ground, I use _Flash Step_.

I am now standing behind the older maid, Licia. With _Lacero_ raised, I plan to strike down Licia. Don't worry; I'll stop at the last minute.

 _?!_

Something hits my stomach and I am pushed back. I lose my footing and drop down on my butt.

I notice what pushed me back. Attached to the end of Licia, just before her _bottom,_ is a long flexible _thing_ which is _furry_ and –

 _It's a tail?!_

There's only one species I know who has a tail and can maintain a human form.

"A… _devil…_ "

"Yes, Master Vena. Indeed, I am a _devil_." Licia swings her tail a few time, to prove to me its authenticity.

 _Devil:_ A race that was supposed to have died off a long time ago, back when the Demon Continent was ruled by the first Demon King 'Nergal'. The Devil race are faithful followers of the Demon King. However, when Demon King 'Nergal' was brought down by the _Elder Vampires_ and _Demon Lords_ , the _Devil_ race were hunted down.

"Please forgive my rude behavior." I get on one knee and face towards the ground.

"There's no need to apologies." Licia reply as I hear footsteps coming towards me.

Lara, the younger maid, offers her hand to support me up. Though she tries to hide it, I can see that she is angry at me. It might be because I attacked Licia. Regardless, I accept her hand and stand up straight, looking at Licia. Her expression remains the same.

"I know that Paul instigated you." Licia looks at Paul with a scornful look. Paul lets out a laugh and rides off with his Stagecoach.

 _He didn't even say good bye. Nah, I never liked him anyways…_

"However…" Licia lets out a sigh, "the fact that Master Vena _listened_ to Paul's suggestion. Even I can't think highly of that."

I can only laugh dryly at Licia's comment as I put away my weapon.

* * *

Part 5

I reintroduce myself and my companions. Marian walks towards me and hits my stomach while scolding me for my irrational behavior. Sometimes I feel that Marian is actually more _mature_ than me. Charlotte watches the situation with a grin on her face, while Elisu stares at Licia and Lara with hostile eyes.

"Now then, let us go and meet Master Dixion." Licia speaks as she gestures towards the three horses.

This means 2 people on one horse. Of course, the ones riding the horses are Licia, Lara, and me.

"I don't want be on the same horse with them!" Elisu suddenly shouts out loud.

No matter how Marian tries to persuade her, Elisu refuses to sit with Licia or Lara. It seems that Marian wants to sit on the same horse with me…not that I mind. In the end, Marian surrenders and lets Elisu sit with me. Marian shares the same horse with Lara, while Charlotte with Licia.

It seems like our luggage will be delivered to the mansion by a horse cart. Licia passes 2 silver coins to a man, where he begins to load our baggage onto the horse cart.

"Master Vena, please follow me." Licia asks as her horse moves ahead of us.

We travel in a straight line: [Licia & Chalotte], [Elisu & I], [Lara & Marian], [Horse Cart].

The buildings in Purna are all two-storey or higher, looking sturdy and well maintained; nothing like the buildings in Burg. We pass by some crowded restaurants and taverns. Just by the smell my stomach begins to grumble, since it's about lunchtime. Looking inside the taverns, I notice some barmaids that suit my taste.

 _I'll need to find time to visit them…ow! ow! oww!_

Elisu, who is sitting in front of me, is pinching my lap, "…I'll tell Marian…"

 _Eh? Did I accidentally say it aloud?_

Looking at Elisu, she seems to be in a foul mood. I can guess why.

"Elisu…do you hate Licia and Lara?"

"…"

Elisu's entire village was destroyed by Demons. The fact that the Devil race once served the Demon King, she might feel some sort of resentment towards the Devil race as well.

"…I…can't help it…" Elisu grumbles, which is rather rare. I notice that Elisu is looking at the front horse. I follow her view.

Charlotte's voice can be heard. She is asking all sorts of question about the town, and Licia answers every single one of them, never once showing that she is irritated with all the questions.

I pat Elisu's head, "Take your time…"

Nothing I say will change Elisu's perception towards the demon and devil race. Therefore, only she herself can change her own perception.

"…"

Elisu accepts my patting and sways left and right. Her actions are really cute today. I feel like hugging her but I sense a _dangerous_ glare coming from behind; most likely from Marian. So, as I hold back my urge to hug Elisu, we arrive at Dixion Turton's mansion.

* * *

Dixion's mansion…is not really a mansion. Yeah, from the outside it does look bigger than an average house but it isn't large enough to be considered a mansion. Before that, let us talk about the exterior of the house.

Black bricks surround the sturdy, two-storey house. On the right is a stable for the horses. On the left is a well-maintained garden with a circular-stone table and chairs at the garden.

The owner of the house, Dixion Turton, walks out of his house while I am helping Elisu down from the horse.

"Ah! Master Vena. Thank you for choosing my humble mansion to stay while you are visiting Purna and Lyfon village." the man known as Dixion bows down.

He looks like a man in his late thirties. He is balding so the middle of his head is shiny. Whatever that is left of his black hair are struggling to grow at the sides. His is short and plum in stature, and dresses like a normal citizen. He doesn't give the aura of a noble.

Licia and Lara bows down while facing Dixion, following which Licia speaks, "Master Dixion, we have retur-"

"Shh!" Dixion hits Licia's back, asking her to remain quiet.

I feel a slight tinge of anger. No one should hit a lady that hard. Regardless, a noble is a noble. I place my right hand on my left shoulder and bow down.

"Master Dixion, thank you for giving my companions and me a place to stay. As you know, I am Vena, one of Mister Millan's _closest friends_."

I decide to make full use of that bastard's name.

"Of course!" Dixion suddenly looks anxious and bows down again, "P-Please, let us continue this conversation inside. Licia! Lara! Prepare lunch!"

"Understood." Licia and Lara reply in sync before heading towards the other side of the house, most likely through the back door. Before that, I believe I just heard Lara's voice for the first time. Though soft, her voice sounded sweet towards my ears.

By the way, the man with the Horse cart has finished unloading our baggage at the front door and has left.

"Now then…this way please, Master Vena." Dixion gestures us towards the front door of his house.

I look at my companions who are lined up beside me. Marian is showing a _fake_ smiling face while Charlotte shows an indifferent expression. Elisu is with her usual expressionless face.

 _Guess Dixion's first impression was bad…_

* * *

From the front doorstep view:

In front is a staircase heading towards the top floor. A total of nine bedrooms and a separate washroom are located at the top floor. Back at the ground floor, if you continue behind the staircase, there are two openings on the right while the left is just a wall. The first opening on the right will lead to the basement while the second opening will lead towards the kitchen. Right after the staircase is a long wooden dining table that can easily seat 12 people.

Back at the front door, if you turn right you will head towards another washroom, and an area to do the laundry.

If you turn left from the front door, you will head towards the main hall, with comfy chairs and expensive furniture's located inside.

"Since there's still time before lunch, how about Master Vena and your companions take a shower?" Dixion suggests as we arrive at the main hall, "You must all be tired from the long journey."

 _A bath…_

Throughout our entire journey, we only took a bath when there's a lake, pond, or any source of water available. I'm fine without bathing but I'm sure Marian and my two disciples are uncomfortable without bathing; they are girls after all.

When I glace at them, as expected, their eyes (especially Marian) are glittering.

With that, Dixion guides them towards the washroom at the ground floor. The washroom is wide enough to support the three of them together. Dixion and I are kicked out from the washroom by the three girls.

"Master Vena, you can use the washroom at the top floor." Dixion proceeds towards the stairs.

"Bath can wait." I stop Dixion, "Instead, please tell me the situation of _Lyfon village._ "

As much as I wish to see Marian's exposed body, important matters come first.

"I understand. This way please, Master Vena." Dixion returns to the main hall.

* * *

Part 6

Before I start my discussion with Dixion, I want to state something I noticed: Licia and Lara are the only maids in this house.

While Licia is preparing lunch, Lara brought our baggage upstairs, offered to wash my black cloak (it's dirty after the long three-day journey), and even served tea to Dixion and I.

 _Such hardworking maids…_

Anyways, back to the important topic. Dixion and I are standing over a rectangular-shaped table. On top of the table is a map showing the location of the town of Purna, Lyfon village, as well as everything surrounding these two areas. It seems that Dixion ordered this map to be prepared just for us, how wonderful.

"Just a simple guide, using the shortest and safest route, travelling from Purna town to Lyfon village takes about 10 minutes by horse ride." Dixion points his index finger from Purna, slowly heading towards Lyfon village on a route he has darkened beforehand.

"What's the situation of Lyfon village?"

"It's as Master Millan said. The village is overrun by the _Vampires._ However, the citizens of the village are coexisting with the _Vampires_."

 _Coexist? That's impossible…_

"Who's the _Vampire_ Master? What's his title?"

"The leader of the vampires is called _Count Uther_. He lives inside the only mansion in Lyfon village."

Vampires rank themselves according to title (minus the normal vampires):

 **Sir - Count - Lord - Elders**

'Sir' is equivalent to the position of _Knights_ in the Human Continent. Vampires holding the title 'Sir' are like the _Royal Guards_ of the Vampire Continent. This title is given to those who excel is the arts of combat.

'Count' is a title given to those noble vampires. They are allowed to own lands, though their lands are at the outskirts of the Vampire Continent. They also have the rights to have their own personal _Private Army_.

 _'Count' Uther…_

He must have recently been given the title 'Count', since I have no memories of meeting him, or his army. I'm thankful that it's just a _Count._ Based on previous experience, I can defeat most 'Count' Vampires without much problem. It is not hard, neither is it easy.

 _Wait…the church…_

"What about the _Holy Knights_ of the church? Where are they stationed?" I continue to ask.

Dixion points at a mountainous terrain about partway from Purna and Lyfon village. "The _Holy Knights_ are gathering here."

"Tell me everything you know about the _Holy Knights._ "

Dixion takes a sip from his tea before speaking; it seems he has many things to say.

'The Purge of Lyfon village': Led by Paladin class – Lord Strex Gerard, 200 _Holy Knights_ and 20 _Arch-Priests_ shall purge the vampires and the humans who living in the village.

It seems that the plan is to retake Lyfon village with the _church forces_. After that, the _church forces_ shall group up with the _Defenders_ at the _Border_ to continue their assault into the Vampire Continent. Their goal is to take the lands in the Vampire Continent owned by three different Counts. With the new acquired lands, the _Border_ troops shall be stationed there to fend off any counterattacks from the vampires.

"That's enough…" I stop Dixion from continuing. My head feels pain.

 _How ridiculous…_

The plan is set to fail. Sure, using that number of _church forces_ to take back Lyfon village is a 100% success rate. But to use such a small force like that to take down THREE _Count-ranking_ vampires? Impossible. Sheer numbers alone won't bring down a _Count-rank_ vampire...because they have their **'family heirloom** ** _'_** _._

"Let us just focus on the situation of Lyfon village."

 _The invasion and war has nothing to do with me…_

"Do you know how they plan to purge Lyfon village?" I ask.

"Right now, the _church forces_ have scouts located at the four sides of the village." Dixion points out their position.

"My information says that the _church forces_ are planning to start the purge in two to three days' time…most likely two days. At sunrise, the _church forces_ shall leave their hideout and proceed to surround the village."

Dixion draws a circle around Lyfon village.

"With that, they'll proceed to purge everyone inside the village."

Dixion finishes with his report, sits back down and drinks the rest of his tea. I see Lara approaching us with a new batch of warm tea; I quickly finish my tea as well. While Lara pours us the new batch of warm tea, I begin to process all the information given by Dixion.

 _The purge…Church forces…two days…Count-rank…_

I scratch my head as a groan accidentally escapes my mouth. Lara looks at me with a puzzled expression before retreating back to the kitchen.

 _Damn…there's not enough time._

At the same time, Marian and my two disciples' exits the washroom, all cleaned with their cheeks flustered red.

"Alright I've decided." I stand up and bow towards Dixion.

"Master Dixion, after lunch, I plan to meet _Count Uther_ in Lyfon village. After that, I want to meet with the _Church forces_. If possible, I plan to do all that before nightfall. May I trouble you with the preparations?"

Dixion stands up, almost knocking his chair behind, "O-Of course Master Vena! I am your host! Please leave everything to me. I'll have everything ready immediately. You can leave right after lunch. Now, please excuse me."

With that, Dixion rushes pass me and shout towards Licia and Lara to entertain us. He leaves the house after that, heading god-knows-where to get things ready for my journey. Marian and my two disciples are staring at me with puzzled expression, since they don't know what is going on.

I decided to explain to them while having our lunch. With that, our plans for today are set.


End file.
